Magnetic Attraction
by GratuitousViolets
Summary: In an act of desperation Rogue makes a deal with Magneto to join the Acolytes if he will evolve her powers. Leaving the X-Men is a small price to pay for what may eventually give her the ability to control her abilities. Meanwhile, Gambit lands himself reluctantly in a relationship with Magneto's daughter leading to many complications. Mature themes/definite triggers.
1. MagneticAttractionPart1

MAGNETIC ATTRACTION

Part One

Standing there at the gates of his lair had been everything she'd have never thought it to be. A quiet warehouse in the industrial district just outside of Bayville; a three story crumbling brick building with heavily barred windows, some were boarded up it seemed from the inside.

Knowing his power over metal, it didn't surprise her and it didn't need to cross her mind that getting through those windows to infiltrate the place would be nigh impossible.

She would have to use the door.

Rogue was almost sure the gate to the loading dock outside of the warehouse would have been locked, but as she pushed it, it creaked loudly and ran an uneasy tingle up her neck at the same time. As she slipped through quietly, she wondered if she was being watched; carefully, she pushed the gate back into place, it clanged loudly regardless, and seemed to echo.

_Shouldn't be here,_ kept running over and over in her mind; a repetitive warning. She supposed it might not be _too_ late to run back. All she had to do was turn, get through that gate, hop in Scott Summer's car (which she had borrowed without permission) and go onto class.

The wind whistled around her, stirring her hair, making her shirt flap around her stomach; the butterflies in her stomach flapped relentlessly too. She tried to deny herself the nerves; it was too late now. She was _here_, she couldn't just turn back.

As with a lot of abandoned buildings, there was the common debris leftover from companies long since gone out of business; broken glass, pieces of plastic, broken crates and loose pieces of paper. The glass crunched beneath her heavy boots, she heard it grind into the cement with each step.

A soft tinkling crossed with rattling caught her attention, and she glanced uneasily to the ground searching for it's direction; her eye saw the glimmer of a large metal bolt rolling by her, it had came from behind her and was heading towards the warehouse.

Yes. He he was here. And he knew she was here too.

She gulped back a throat full of anxiety and pressed on; no turning back now that he knew of her presence, it was far too late. She'd missed her chance, the boat had sailed, the bird had flown out of the window.

Another rattling sound; this was louder, more aggressive, and she shifted her eyes to her left to see a pile of metal pipes perhaps at least eight or nine feet in length. The pipes were vibrating against each other, it sounded almost dangerously musical. It was a warning, she decided. This was the time to step back.

The pipes shot out quickly, far more quickly than she had anticipated. Ding, ding, ding, one by one, embedded in the cement, surrounding her before she'd had the chance to move away. A cage of solid pipes imprisoned her, she heard the creaking of the metal as they curled over at the top to twist together to stop her from climbing up.

"Damn it!" she yelled frustratedly, she grabbed a pipe in each hand and tried to pry them apart but they were more solid than she would have given them credit for; the way _he_ had bent them at his will made them seem like they might be made of soft soldering iron but it was far from the truth.

His shadow appeared before he did; he had been somewhere in the air and she had not thought to look. She felt foolish...this was _not_ how Logan had taught her to assess danger. Waltzing into an enemy's base camp without even bothering to check _the sky_ or give ample warning wasn't how the X-Men did things.

Especially not when that enemy was _Magneto._

Magneto gravitated towards the earth slowly but he did not completely land; his feet dangled so that the toes of his steel-capped boots slightly dragged against the concrete, causing tiny sparks to jump across the dusty grey. "Why are you here?"

"Let me go!" she pleaded of him; she didn't like being trapped in a cage.

"Answer!"

"Ah didn't come to attack!" regardless of her attempt being utterly pointless she still tried desperately to pry the pipes apart.

"You came alone. It was foolish," Magneto stated; his voice was always that eerie tone of calm, verging on monotonous but just shy of a dreary undertone. He removed his helmet; his hair was silvery white, just like the streaks in her own hair that parted the shoulder length chestnut brown.

"Ah didn't come to fight," she said, she had to refrain from yelling this at him, she tried to think of the breathing exercises Ororo Munro had taught her to use at times like these. Poise, calm, concentration. The opposite to Logan's _act now, think later _berserker tactics.

"Why are you here?" he asked again, his helmet held beneath one arm as he hovered. He stared at her beneath charcoal eyebrows with eyes so cool they were almost like liquid ice; his face was serene but she saw the guardedness just behind his stare.

A slight breath escaped her lips, a shuddering breath that exposed too much of how she really felt about being imprisoned, about being here without anyone knowing. "Ah...Ah need your help..." she swallowed.

"The X-Men need _my_ help?" he sounded almost amused by the concept.

"No...just me. Myself."

His expression became unreadable as he continued to stare at her.

"Ah can't live like this...Ah can't take it any more."

He raised an eyebrow, but only slightly, his face still so incredibly serene it was unsettling. Rogue studied him for another moment, her emotions beginning to catch up with her.

"You made Scott's powers evolve once..." she swallowed a lump in her throat.

He gave something of a vague laugh, "and you think I should do the same for you?"

She chewed the inside of her cheek. "Ah'm eighteen. Ah've never had a _normal_ life...Ah can't touch anyone...Ah can't _be_ with anyone..." she looked down to the ground. "Ah don't want to live the rest of my life knowin' Ah'll _never_ know what it feels like..."

"You cannot be certain that your powers will remain this uncontrollable for the rest of your adult life, Rogue," Magneto admitted.

"You can't be certain of it either," Rogue retorted, "that's why I want this so bad. I know it's the only way...if there were another way don't you think I'd take it?"

It startled her that his eyes seemed to soften as if he actually pitied her. He gazed upon her, his face calm, his lips slightly parted as he contemplated her request. "You must realise what evolving your powers would do to you."

It wasn't a question.

"Ah...Ah know Ah would be different..." she stared at him, trying to contain the sadness within.

"_Different_ is an understatement, Rogue. Your attitude, your emotions, your abilities. Everything would _change_. Not slightly, but dramatically, and these changes would be _irreversible."_

"They weren't for Scott."

"What happened on Asteroid M was a series of unforeseen errors; I would not _make_ those errors again."

Rogue scratched her arm absently, the tiny hairs there stood on end, making her goose-pimpled flesh tingle.

"What does _Charles_ think of your plan for this, Rogue? Is he behind this? Does he support your decision?"

Her eyes fell awkwardly to the ground, she had no answer to this; she had not spoken to the Professor, she had never revealed her intentions. For the past few months the thought of even bringing it up had knotted her stomach and left her feeling nauseous.

Magneto gave an incredulous laugh. "Ah, you have not _told_ him, have you?"

Raising her eyes and sucking in a nervous breath she somehow mustered the strength to respond, "Ah didn't feel it necessary."

"Does he not help you with your powers?" Magneto asked, his voice light, his cool eyes never leaving her. "Has he not done all he can do?"

"He spends more time helpin' Jean Grey focus on her powers, helpin' her expand on hers. She's his _protege, the most powerful mutant on the team_ and seein' her 'exceptional potential' lived up to and ensurin' she doesn't lose control of her powers is all he seems to care about these days," Rogue felt tears brimming in her eyes.

"If he is too pre-occupied with helping others, then telling him would _not_ be an issue," Magneto pointed out. "You have not told him about your plans to come here because you are afraid he would advise against it."

"Ah didn't _tell him b_ecause he would have thought that it was the _easy_ way out, and that's not how we do things in the institute."

"For all Charles' shortcomings, he is a _wise_ soul. I do not doubt that his opinion on this would be more than correct."

Rogue felt tears sting her eyes; she'd tried to put on the brave face but it was quickly falling, her walls of strength were crumbling and she was afraid her weakness was showing.

"Crocodile tears?" Magneto asked, his face seemed to tighten.

She tried to blink the tears away but one escaped and she felt it tickle her left cheek as it slid from her eye to meet with her jaw. "You don't know what this is like. Bein' _caged_ all the time. Havin' to cover up in hot weather...havin' to keep everyone at an arms length..." she swept her sleeve clumsily against her face and sniffed. "If Ah wait 'til my powers mutate naturally...Ah could wait 'til I'm forty...or fifty. By then it's too late...Mutants rarely live past their late thirties and you _know_ that."

His eyes hazed for a moment as he listened to her, he stared into space, his lips pursed tightly. After she'd finished, he sighed, "You don't know what it is you ask of me, Rogue."

"Ah do. Ah've thought this through. Ah've went over every possibility and Ah don't _care_ if Ah lose most of myself...Ah'm barely _livin'_ anyway. Ah can't wait the rest of my life on the off chance that some day things might work out. Ah just want to be _normal._"

"That's why your plans bother me so," Magneto let himself finally land upon the floor; he swept an arm across the air and the bars of her makeshift cage bent so that a space large enough for her to step through had formed. He stood there, watching her, waiting for her to leave it.

She didn't move.

"You don't want to _evolve,_ Rogue. You want to _devolve. _ What you want is to be human, and _that_ is something I _cannot give._ Even if I _did _have the capacity to do so, I would_ not_ give you what you seek. We are _superior, _and opting to be _inferior_ to simply fit in goes against everything that nature has done for us. Nature did not _evolve_ us so that we could simply go back to being human. We do not evolve to simply become _cavemen_ again!"

Rogue sniffled, she felt foolish for having used the word 'normal' at all. It'd been a mistake, it may have just cost her everything. Still, she pressed on, hoping that he'd find something to pity. She didn't care how pathetic this was making her now. "Ah don't want to be human. There's nothin' _out_ there for me in the human world. I just want _control, _and...a chance to _feel _somethin' other than...trapped."

Magneto was quiet again, thinking. After a moment, he tilted his head, "Tell me, Rogue, what would you do, if you were _evolved?"_

'If' _was_ a pretty strong word, she thought. What _would_ she do? It hadn't really occurred to her, because in all honesty she had come here already knowing deep inside he would refuse her plea. In all her sleepless nights of wondering if she should come, in _hoping_ he would help her but secretly knowing he never would, it had never once dawned on her that there needed to be a certain amount of planning if her plea did bring success.

Where _would _she go? What could she do? With that much power, _could_ she indeed wield and control it without becoming driven by it? Would she be able to live normally or would she be determined to rule the world as Magneto had been? So many questions came suddenly flooding to her and she felt her stomach knot with unease.

"These are questions you should have pondered before your requests."

She held onto the loose bars of her cage to steady herself, "part of me knew you never _would_ agree to help me..." she admitted.

"But part of you hoped I would," he responded softly, his voice delicate, barely a gust of wind in the cool air.

"Ah would join you," she stated, trying to remain calm. This had always occurred to her. No one in life did anything for free anymore, and Magneto would certainly want something in return for this kind of a service. She supposed servitude would be a small price to pay if he could do for her what she hoped he could.

"Desperation," said Magneto woefully, "Desperation is something you should never allow to speak for you. It clouds judgement and weighs an unbalanced mind towards the wrong direction."

Rogue chewed her lip and uneasily gazed upon the man who could possibly give her the life she wanted, if only he would see fit to do so.

"You would hand yourself over to my whim. Do you even realise how dangerous you could truly be under the command of the _wrong _person, Rogue?" he asked lightly.

A shuddering breath, Rogue replied only, "of course...but...you told the Professor you'd changed. That you're on our side. Does it matter whose side I'm on? If it's yours or the X-Men. You help me, Ah'll fight on your side...Ah'll do whatever you ask me to do, and Ah won't argue it..."

"Jean Grey may be powerful given her telepathic and telekinetic abilities, I admit," Magneto explained, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then gestured towards her, "but you...you are exceptional...you can be anything, do anything, take anything you want..." he pointed out. "Has experience not taught you how _truly deadly _you could be?"

Depression settled deep within her to hear these words, words she'd known since the realization of what her powers could do and how they affected those around her. She was aware of all the things Magneto was saying. Rogue remained silent, holding her emotions in desperately.

"And you would give one of potentially the most dangerous living weapons on this Earth...all for the desire to feel _normal."_

"Just _one_ night of bein' normal would be worth the sacrifice," she admitted, her eyes still blurry with tears.

"This sacrifice is not noble...it is desperate and _selfish,_" Magneto grumbled.

"There _is_ no one else to think about but myself," Rogue swallowed back a lump in her throat, "who else do Ah have?!"

"Speak to Charles," Magneto decided, he sounded intrigued with the whole idea now, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Discuss the idea with him. I'd be interested on what his response would be."

"But you _know_ he won't agree."

"Would you let it stop you if he did?"

She drew her breath through her teeth. No. She wouldn't let that stop her. She wanted to be able to control her powers so badly that she wouldn't let _anything_ stop her.

"I need to know how _serious_ you are about your request. Indulge me, Rogue. Go back to your Professor and advise him of your intentions. Return here when you have discussed the matter and have had a chance to truly consider what it is you ask of me."

"And will you help me then?" she asked hopefully.

"I will wait. If you return, we can discuss where to go from there."

Rogue stepped out of her makeshift prison, "fine. Ah'll tell him what Ah plan. And Ah'll be back. You can count on it."

The mansion was its usual noisy self when Rogue arrived home; she said not a word to any of her fellow students at the institute as she crossed the foyer to reach the stairs. Two of the younger students were fighting over a Dubstep CD; Jean Grey was trying to mediate between the two, while a few other students were standing watching the commotion. The volume from a television in the direction of the rec room was blaring, and Rogue could hear the theme tune from a popular sitcom.

Just as Rogue approached the stairs, Kurt Wagner appeared from the kitchen doorway, a plate, a bag of chips, and a large glass of ice and cola balanced in his furry arms. "Rogue," he said cheerily, spotting her at once.

She stopped on the first step, sighing inwardly and turning to look at him, "hey," she said quietly. Her eyes fell on Scott Summers who had followed him out; Scott was chewing on a cookie, and with a mouthful of it, he said "hey, did you take my car?"

Rogue chewed the inside of her cheek; she reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the keys, "yeah, Ah'm sorry, Ah was late for class...and Ah didn't have time to wait for the bus. Ah knew you were catchin' a ride with Jean...Ah didn't think you'd mind..." she tossed the keys towards him.

Scott caught the keys in his free hand, "that's weird. I thought you'd skipped today."

"Huh?" Rogue asked, she'd taken two more steps but stopped again, she glanced over the rail at him, her heart skipping a little. How did he know she'd skipped? Had he gone into her class to look for her?

"Me and Jean hung around to see if you needed a ride home...you never showed. We even went and stood outside the building your class is in..." Scott explained.

Jean turned to glance at Rogue, even the arguing between Bobby and Amara over the CD died out pretty quickly.

"Ah left early," Rogue lied. "Ah had cramps," she stated, knowing he wasn't about to press the subject any further at the mention of such things.

"Oh," said Scott, looking red in the face.

"Do Ah always need to explain myself to you?" Rogue asked irritably, "Your car is fine, Ah didn't put any dings in it. Ah even put gas in it, so lighten up..." she shook her head at him as she climbed the rest of the stairs, trying to refrain from stomping. She hoped her lie was enough to put him off asking any more questions. She couldn't deny she felt incredibly guilty that she'd snapped, but in this case, it'd been the easiest way to avoid the truth.

_What would Scott think if he knew where Ah really was? _Rogue thought as she entered her bedroom, she immediately locked the door behind herself and dropped her bag on the floor by the bed. She gathered he'd be upset, and it would probably be quite warranted she supposed. The idea of her joining Magneto just in the hopes of receiving help with her powers wouldn't have sat well with Scott, especially not after what Magneto had done to him and his younger brother some time ago on Asteroid M.

Rogue sat on the bottom of the bed and put her head in her hands. Her head was still swimming with the conversation she'd shared with Magneto; the possibility that he might help her, his insistence that she at least speak with Professor Xavier before she truly decide what she wants to do.

She wasn't sure how to broach the subject with the Professor. What could she start with? How was it going to sound that she'd went to see the man behind the Professor's back, without anyone going with her? Anything could have happened, she could have become a prisoner, she could have been hurt. She was sure whatever she said would end up in a lecture and a long discussion resulting in him talking her out of her plans.

_Maybe Ah should just forget it,_ Rogue thought dully as she swept her hair from her face. She rubbed her head, her temples throbbing with the strain of the decisions and consequences.

"What's up with you?"

She jumped a little, and looked up; she'd forgotten momentarily that despite she'd locked the door, her room-mate Kitty Pryde was able to walk in and out with her powers of being able to phase effectively through solid objects like doors and walls.

"Jesus, don't you knock?"

"In my own room?" Kitty gave something of a nervous laugh. "What's wrong? You look pale...well..._paler_ than usual."

"Ah'm just tired..." she glanced up at Kitty who was crossing the room to reach the dresser; the girl was wearing a smart white blouse, black pants and stiletto boots. Her hair was loose and wavy, and her eyes were dusted in grey. She looked far more sophisticated than her usual capri pants and pink sweater generally allowed for. "Are you goin' somewhere?"

"Out with Lance," said Kitty in a coo.

"Oh. So he's _back_ then?" Rogue asked, not really interested in discussing the situation at all but making polite conversation to simply change the subject from her own troubles. "Ah thought he'd joined some other team up in god-knows wherever."

"He didn't like it there. He's back with Magneto's crew. He's talking about going back to school...and getting his GED. He wants to, like, get his life together and stuff."

"Sounds like he has a plan," said Rogue, thinking that it would be very unlikely Lance Alvers could ever stick to such a straight laced strategy. She watched Kitty brushing on some lipgloss. Judging by how nice the girl was making her face up, she _too_ had a plan for this evening. "You know where the Professor is right now?" Rogue asked as she stood up.

"Uhm..." Kitty paused, "Last I saw him, he was in the control annex for the danger room...he's coding some new training programs. He thinks the current ones we have are getting, like, too predictable or whatever."

"Thanks..." Rogue stood up, "I'll uhm...I..." she hovered at the door, wondering if perhaps she should say goodbye to the girl now, since if all went to plan, she would be leaving tonight, and probably before Kitty would get back from her date. Would they ever be in the same room again? Would they ever hang out again?

_It's not like we were ever really friends to begin with, _Rogue thought sullenly.

"Something wrong?" Kitty asked, examining Rogue's reflection in the mirror as she brushed on a little mascara.

"No," Rogue shook her head softly. She opted to not say anything; Kitty would try to talk her out of it and she'd already made up her mind. _Ah don't need the time wasted arguing about this, Ah know what Ah have to do,_ Rogue thought. "Have a nice time," she said to Kitty, regarding the date, she smiled wanly.

"Thanks. See you later."

_Probably not,_ thought Rogue as she left the room.

As she made her way through the winding halls of the mansion, Rogue tried to rehearse what she could say to the man. It didn't matter how she tried to word it, it was going to sound awful, and selfish, and self important. The equivalent of saying '_thanks for everything, thanks for the two years of room and board, for the extensive training, for the free food, the free allowance, the free education. But yeah, now I'm going to go join your enemy – his deal is better'._

He wasn't going to like it no matter how she came out with it; no doubt he'd be angry she went alone, and no doubt he'd be hurt that she was unsatisfied with how little he'd been able to help her. The guilt ate at her as she stood in the elevator, listening to the hum of it moving down; it gnawed at her gut like a thousand hungry rats and continued to do so as she walked down the hall, listening to the sound of her heavy boots against the metal floor.

Charles Xavier was in the control annex for the Danger Room, just as Kitty had suggested. He was typing with one hand and holding a cup of coffee in the other, whilst simultaneously reading from a list of codes that was perched on the console.

Rogue hovered for a moment at the door, watching him. She thought it was a shame it had come to this. He'd given her so many opportunities and chances. A better education, paid for her college education, and always offered her his friendship and support. But when it came down to it all, she couldn't stick around when the man may never be able to help her. She had to at least _try_ to explore other options. If she didn't, then she'd always be left wondering if perhaps something _could_ have been done.

"Are you going to stand at the door all day, Rogue?" asked the Professor, without looking over his shoulder to see if she was standing there or not.

Unnerved, Rogue drew her breath, "how'd you know Ah was here?" she asked, she hugged herself as she walked slowly over to stand by him.

"I sensed you," he replied.

Rogue wondered if perhaps he could have also read her thoughts. She decided not to broach the subject of that right now. There were more pressing matters. "Are you busy?"

"Not exceptionally," he gestured to the chair beside him as he finished up typing a code in. "I'm just reworking some of these programmes and adding few new ones. I've noticed a few of the younger students here seem to have _memorized _certain events in the programmes and in anticipation, are breezing through each exercise. I'm coding in some new unpredictable features to throw them off and keep them on their toes. Out there in battle, they won't know what's coming, and they need to always be ready to deal with whatever comes their way," he explained as he typed. He finished up the code, and he turned his chair slightly so that he could face her.

She was still standing there, her breath bated.

"Is something wrong?" he asked at once, she was unsure if he sensed her apprehension, or if he could see it. Either way, he knew that something needed to be said.

Rogue examined his cool blue eyes; they were more piercing than Magneto's, more astute, those eyes could really _see_ through you. She tried not to let this bother her as she sat quietly down and crossed one leg over the other. "Ah've...been thinking lately, that..." she trailed off, she had to take a deep breath to continue, "things just aren't really working out here any more."

"Oh?" asked the Professor, his expression one of immediate concern.

"It's not that Ah don't appreciate everythin' you've done for me here," she explained, "but...it's just...not workin' anymore. Ah've been here for two years now, and Ah'm no closer to understandin' or controllin' my powers than Ah was when Ah first got here."

"I see," said Professor Xavier. "Is there something you feel could be done differently?" he asked.

"No...honestly Ah don't," she stated honestly, "Ah know that you don't really understand my powers...you've tried to get to the root of them, but it's not working, and right now, you have so many students here who need help with their powers."

"Is this because of all the time I've been spending with Jean?" the Professor asked quickly.

"No," she lied.

"Right now is a _very_ difficult time for Jean. Her telepathic and telekinetic abilities are growing more powerful at an alarming rate, and right now my primary focus has been on her to ensure she maintains control to avoid any incidents. Not just for her own safety, but for _everyone_ at this institute."

"It's nothing to do with that," Rogue said irritably, she tried to look him in the eye, but felt it difficult to keep doing so. "It's that Ah feel like...Ah'm just spinnin' my tires. Nothin's changin'. Ah'm not _movin'_. Everyone is movin' on...gettin' better, gettin' faster, stronger, more powerful...and...Ah'm still the same. Ah haven't _evolved."_

Xavier's brow furrowed, his eyes squinted, "evolved. That's a rather _odd_ way to phrase it."

Rogue's cheeks grew instantly hot as she realised she'd given herself away. She immediately regretted having not properly thought this approach through.

"You've been speaking with Magnus."

She looked down to the floor, she twisted the ring on her index finger absently. "Ah think he could help me," she admitted. "Ah think he knows more...understands more...that he could find a way to...evolve my powers to where Ah can be able to control them."

"Rogue, Magneto's methods are _dangerous,_ and if he evolves your powers, you may not end up the same girl you are now. You may become an unstable mess, unable to control yourself at all. Is that really what you want?"

She raised her eyes to the Professor, "You don't get it, do you?"

He did not answer.

"Ah'm lookin' at livin' the rest of my life like a prisoner trapped in my own body. Ah'm afraid of goin' out...afraid of goin' to school in case someone accidentally bumps into me in the busy hallway and gets killed. Sometimes Ah have these vivid nightmares of my powers becomin' stronger...that they start workin' by just lookin' at people...and Ah wake up thinkin' maybe that someday it _could happen_."

"But to go to Magneto..." the Professor frowned.

"You had both agreed that you were on speakin' terms. That you weren't really enemies any more. It isn't like he's tryin' to take over the world now. We haven't had a single incident with him or his lackeys for several months."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"Rogue...Magneto's evolution of mutant power is _unnatural,_ and like anything _unnatural, _forced acceleration has consequences, undesired side-effects. Don't you realise what you could become?"

Rogue looked away from the Professor, her jaw clenched.

"You don't care, do you?"

"Of course Ah care," she shot. "But Ah also know Ah have to _try_ before Ah just...resign my life to _this_."

"What's so wrong with _this,_ Rogue? Is your life truly so horrible?"

She supposed it wasn't in some regards, she had a home, people who loved her, clothes on her back, food in her belly. But she wanted much more. "It's not horrible. It's just not...wonderful."

"And you really think Magneto can give you_ wonderful?_"

"Ah don't know what he can give me. But Ah'm willin' to try."

Professor Xavier sighed, "You know I can't stop you, Rogue. You're eighteen now. Legally, I have no rights to stop you from doing anything you set your mind to. But I wish you would at least listen to reason and drop this notion that Magneto can fix your powers as if they were a broken stereo."

She stared at the floor again, feeling sheepish. "Ah've already made up my mind, Professor."

"So you're just going to go...after everything we've done for you, after everything you've been through here? After all the hard work we've done together to help you try to control your powers?"

"It's not that Ah'm not grateful," she stood up slowly, "it's just that Ah'm not happy any more..." she headed for the door and stopped, sighing. "Ah need to do this. If Ah don't...Ah'll spend the rest of my life wondering what _might_ have been."

"Rogue...you know you always have a home here...do not be foolish enough to think that just because we have had this disagreement that you will never be welcome here again. You are _always_ welcome here, and you will _always _be accepted with open arms. You have always been and will always be one of us, a part of our family. Never forget that."

She gave one last glance at the man over her shoulder before she left him, guilt making her stomach churn. "Thank you, Professor. For everything."

It was odd, Rogue thought, that in her two years of residence at the mansion, she'd accumulated very few possessions of her own. A few meagre pieces of jewellery, an MP3 player, six books and a library card. Her clothing collection accounted to six pairs of gloves (mostly black), eight bras, twelve pairs of panties, nine pairs of socks, three pairs of stockings, four tank tops (all black), two pairs of jeans, two skirts, one swim suit, three tops, a few scarves, and a winter jacket.

It was incredibly sad that with the right folding, she could fit all of it into _one _single tote bag.

As she folded her favourite blouse – a green mesh number that she loved to wear during the summer because it let her skin feel the air around her – she felt a sigh escape her lips. Her eyes travelled across her bedroom, realising that it would be her room no more, and that Kitty Pryde would have reason to stop complaining about the lack of privacy.

Her thoughts drifted to the discussion with Magneto. She wondered if he truly could do something for her, or if she would be stuck in the same cycle of no-hope that she'd been in for the past two years. She'd grown tired of that cycle, and was eager to break it even if it did mean Magneto's help.

"So you're just gonna cut and run, huh."

Rogue had been so lost in her thoughts that she was startled when Logan's voice came from the open doorway. The blouse dropped from her fingers and landed on the rug. "Don't you ever knock?" she asked irritably.

"Door was open, didn't think I needed to," Logan stepped in, "so I hear you're going to join Magneto."

"Ah've already had this discussion with the Professor," Rogue replied. She didn't want to repeat it with Logan, and she didn't really want to look at him either right now. She could already tell by the tone in his voice that he was dismayed with her. She supposed she couldn't blame him; he'd spent time and effort trying to train her to be strong inside and out, he'd always taught her to fight battles the long, hard and honourable way, and here she was already running out of the door looking for the first available short cut she could find.

"I thought you were stronger than this."

"Ah need to do this..." she knelt down to pick up the blouse and repeated folding it before placing it carefully into her bag.

"If this is about us not trying hard enough to help you, then you should have said. We'll try harder, Rogue. We can fight this thing together..."

"Ah've fought for two years and saw no change," Rogue zipped the bag up. "How many more years do Ah have to fight? How do Ah know Ah'm not just fightin' a losin' battle?"

"When you give up before you've really begun, then it's already a losing battle, Rogue," Logan remarked.

"Please don't make this harder," she pleaded of him, she sat down on the edge of her bed and sighed.

Logan came to sit beside her, "I know it's hard, Rogue," he admitted.

"No, you really don't," she shook her head. "I'm a prisoner in my own body."

"You make it sound like you're disabled, Rogue. I've known people who are paralysed from the neck down. People who can't even speak or do anything for themselves. _They're_ prisoners in their own bodies, Rogue. You're just a prisoner behind cloth. And if you work at it, I know you can get through this," he put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a hard squeeze. "Taking the easy way out isn't going to solve all your problems."

"It's not the easy way out," she replied, "it's an alternative way."

"Look, my point is that I _know _you're stronger with this, and I know that with time-"

"Time? Two years of time have passed and Ah'm no closer to controllin' this than Ah was back then," Rogue stood up, she moved to the dresser where she'd left her MP3 player and she picked it up and brought it over to the bag, slipping it into the pouch at the side. "How long should Ah wait, Logan?" she asked, "Two more years? Five? Ten? Ah could waste the rest of my life waiting and not see any change. Ah want to live _now,_ while Ah'm young. Ah want relationships, and to not worry about hurtin' friends. Ah want to be able to go outside and wear a t-shirt without wonderin' who's gonna get hurt if they just accidentally touch me..."

"I know that," Logan stated, his tone was harsh, but the look in his eyes was soft, and understanding.

"Ah know you're tryin' to talk me out of makin' a mistake," Rogue stared down at the him, "but what if it's not a mistake? What if it _does_ work out?"

"I hope it does, really," Logan confessed, "but experience has taught me life is rarely all that accommodating. I don't like this Rogue. I don't trust this, and I don't trust Magneto. I don't like the thought of you putting all your eggs in one basket thinking this is going to be what changes your life...and I don't like the thought that at the end of it all, you're going to be hurt. But you're old enough to go out and make your own mistakes and lead your own life. I know I can't stop you. All I can do is say...when it all goes wrong and you need me...I'm only a phone call away. I'll be there...like I always have."

Rogue forced a smile at him, hoping that he wouldn't see the tears that were brimming in her eyes, "thanks."

He stood up and moved towards the door, "I'm still disappointed in you, though," he admitted.

"Ah know..."

"Good luck, Rogue," he said, sounding slightly cold towards her before he left the room.

Rogue watched him go, remembering why she hated goodbyes so much.


	2. MagneticAttractionPart2

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Two**

* * *

Remy LeBeau rolled over to find his cigarette packet on Wanda Maximoff's nightstand. He exhaled a long sigh of exhaustion as he put a cigarette to his lips, picked his lighter up and torched it up. He put one arm behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

Wanda Maximoff, the young woman he'd just spent the last twenty-eight minutes being intimate with, was lying on her stomach, stark naked, ankles up in the air, feet twirling absently. She reached over to take the cigarette from him and she took a long drag from it.

"Your daddy gon' kill me if he finds out 'bout this. He could walk in at any minute, you know," Remy threw a look towards the metal door of Wanda's room; it was a former locker room in the warehouse that Magneto now used as his headquarters. It wasn't much of a conversion. Worn brick walls, cold stone floor, and narrow frosted windows that were barred on the outside. Wanda's posters of popular goth and punk bands, and her meagre pieces of furniture did nothing to make it any more appealing than it been when it'd looked like a locker room.

"He's on the phone," said Wanda, she passed the cigarette back, "with Xavier. Whenever they get on the phone with each other these days, it goes on for hours. They have these long debates that never seem to end. He's not gonna walk in anytime soon..."

"But still..." Remy took another drag of the cigarette, and exhaled a long stream of smoke into the air, "you never know."

"I'm eighteen, he can't do anything to stop me from sleeping with anyone I want to sleep with," Wanda pointed out, she reached to him and trailed her fingers across his chest in a light circling tickle.

He met her gaze, "he'd be shocked at the things you did to me."

"I think _you_ were shocked at the things I did to you that first time," Wanda smirked, her dark blue eyes twinkled with that hint of near-insanity that always slightly unnerved Remy yet at the same time got him harder than granite.

Remy LeBeau had to admit to himself, that yes, she had _definitely surprised _him. The first time, and the several other times since, had been incredible, explosive and unbelievable. Never before had sex been as intense as it was with Wanda Maximoff, and he'd been with many women so he had plenty of experience for comparison. Perhaps what most surprised him about this whole purely sexual relationship was that it had happened at all. Wanda had always given him the indication that she couldn't stand being around him.

While Remy had been used to women throwing themselves at him frequently – having the gift of looks _and _charm – he'd never expected Wanda to be one of them. When she'd thrown herself at him (an act he was sure had come out of sheer boredom on her part), he'd only done what any other twenty-one-year old man his age would have done. He wasn't about to turn down a free roll in the hay with a gorgeous young woman.

Occasionally, it occurred to him that perhaps he'd done the wrong thing by entering into this odd casual sexual relationship of theirs. After all, as beautiful as she was, and as _good_ as she was at what she did, she was still as crazy as a bag of rabid ferretts. Unstable people were unpredictable...although to be fair, sometimes it was that unpredictability that was the exciting part.

Taking another drag of the cigarette, he exhaled then asked,"Don't you ever get afraid he'll walk in some day? That door doesn't have a lock...he could just waltz in here and catch us."

"Even if it did have a lock, do you think it'd stop him? He controls metal...he'd still get in regardless," she sat up on her knees, her body highlighted by the flickering flames of the collection of candles on each nightstand. "Besides," she climbed over him, straddling his hips, "you know it's the thought of him catching us that makes this thing so hot," she leaned down and pecked his lips.

He couldn't deny that. While being secretly afraid of what Magneto could do to him should he find out that he was being intimate with Wanda, the thrill of risk of being caught was certainly what made it all so appealing. Nothing ever made sex so appealing as the _urgency_ to get it done before being caught in the act.

"Ready for round two?" she asked with a soft chuckle as she took the cigarette from him and stubbed it out against the wall before tossing it onto the cement floor.

"You have to ask?" he asked. For several minutes, they kissed deeply, wrestling for control of top position, which was always Wanda's favourite type of foreplay. Her low throaty chuckles made him ache, as did the very light but teasing way she swept her tongue against the edge of his ear. They'd barely begun when a loud yell interrupted them both and they both looked at each other, blinking as Magneto's booming voice of authority called for each of them.

"GAMBIT?! WANDA?!"

Remy dismounted quickly, reaching for his pants and yanking them on as quickly as he could, not even bother to look where the underwear he'd been wearing earlier had disappeared to. He swore under his breath, "fuck!"

"Calm down."

"I told you we'd get caught..."

"Relax. He's just calling for us, he won't know," Wanda rolled her eyes at him, she pulled her dark red t-shirt on and then stood up to look for her underwear. "You go out first," she instructed, as she found her panties hanging from the edge of the bed; she pulled them on quickly, and then grabbed her leggings and stepped into them, hopping around a little in the process, "check no one is outside the door first though."

"Maybe we should just stop this," Remy stepped into his boots and made a poor job of tying them. He yanked his t-shirt on quickly and then the shirt he'd worn over that, hoping that nothing was inside out. He glanced in Wanda's old and slightly cracked mirror, his reflection looked decent enough although he looked slightly flushed.

"You don't mean that," Wanda remarked, "now go."

Remy slipped out of her room quietly after checking that no one was around; everyone seemed to be in the living area, which was at the very back of the warehouse right above the office and mess hall. He drew a breath and made his way across the cold warehouse, and then up the metal stairs, the creaking and clanging of each step in protest drew the attention of everyone up there.

Piotr Rasputin was in the way, standing there in his hooded bathrobe (a horrendous fluffy brown thing that sometimes made him look almost like an oversized teddy bear), Remy could see see only a little of Magneto standing behind, and a rather put-out looking Pietro Maximoff. Lance Alvers was nowhere to be seen, but Remy was almost positive he'd heard the boy say something about having a date with one of the X-Men.

"Hey, what's goin' on?" Remy asked casually as he reached the final step and moved into the living area.

Piotr moved out of the way, and Remy saw that there was someone else standing there. Someone he had _not_ expected.

Rogue.

He was in perfect control of his reaction, and he maintained unsurprised as he approached, "Rogue," he said, drinking in her slightly withered expression.

"What is _she_ doing here anyway?" asked Pietro, sounding rather offended by the girl's presence. His tone spoke of his complete disdain, while somehow still maintaining his level of minimal interest.

Magneto spoke up, "Where is Wanda?" he asked irritably.

"I'm here!" yelled Wanda from downstairs, Remy glanced over the edge of the rail to see her arriving, she'd fixed her short black hair so that it looked neat, and she'd even put on lipstick to replace the coat he'd kissed away half an hour earlier. As everyone's attention fell to Wanda as she came up the stairs, he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt just to be sure none of it remained on his lips.

"Where were you?" Magneto frowned.

"I was watching True Blood," Wanda folded her arms. "What's going on? Why's _she_ here?" she gestured to Rogue. "The X-Men kick her out or something?" she asked coldly.

"Where's Avalanche?" Magneto looked around.

"He's out on a _date_ with _pretty Kitty_ from the X-Men," said Pietro coldly. "He's probably gonna be a while, he bought condoms so he might be getting lucky tonight. Or at least...he thinks he's gonna."

Magneto frowned; Remy was always aware of how Magneto didn't like discussions of a personal nature being brought up while he was in the room. He'd made it quite clear that whatever the Acolytes with did in their personal time was _their _business as long as he didn't have to hear about it, then he was quite willing to let them come and go as he pleased.

Rogue's expression was a little sour at the mention of her friend perhaps having sex tonight. Remy wondered if it was jealousy that she herself would never know that pleasure, or if it was simply that she disliked the way Pietro spoke of her friend in that manner. Remy felt very sorry for her either way, as she stood there with Magneto's arm around her shoulders, her sports bag dangling from both her hands, her face revealing how very self-conscious and out of place she felt.

"So are you going to tell us what's going on?" Wanda asked impatiently, looking between her father and Rogue.

"I guess we will go on without Avalanche. I'd like to announce that we have a new member. Rogue will be joining us, and will be living here from now on."

"Oh come _on_..." Pietro gaped, "seriously? She's one of the X-Men. She's probably _spying_ for Xavier or some shit."

"Language," warned Magneto, his face turning a little red as it always did when he had words with his son. "Rogue is _no longer _affiliated with the X-Men. From this day forth, she is an Acolyte, same as the rest of you, and you will treat her like one of us," he explained.

Rogue looked between them all, saying nothing. Her dull green eyes spoke of how truly uncomfortable she felt amongst them all.

"This does not mean pick fights, this does not mean harass her about her reasons for being here, and this does _not_ mean spy on her or cause _any_ trouble regarding her stay. Is that clear? You will respect her, and treat her nicely, or you will have me to answer to."

Pietro and Magneto exchanged glances; Pietro had that slight look of fear he always had when his father gave him _that look_. Remy could only smirk at this. He just _loved_ when Pietro was put in his place.

"Welcome to the team," said Piotr, his tone genuine and warm. Remy had expected him of course to be the most welcoming; Piotr was a farm boy with a generous nature which had always left Remy wondering why he'd even stayed with the Acolytes at all and hadn't moved on to the X-Men who were more his type of people. He'd always thought of even suggesting it, thinking that the boy would probably be much happier where the people would appreciate his kind of nature much more openly.

"Thanks," Rogue said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. Remy could see she was trying hard to be cool and composed, her dull olive eyes were expressive, even if the rest of her face had stayed hard.

"Now, Pietro," said Magneto, looking down at his son, "I'd like you to show Rogue around, show her where everything is, and where her room is. I've assigned her the old janitor room in the basement."

"You want _me _to be the _welcome wagon?_" Pietro asked incredulously.

"Actually..." Remy stepped forward, "let him off the hook, boss. Let _me _show her around, we're old friends," he reached over and took the bag from her. He glanced up briefly to see Wanda look at him strangely as he did so and he tried to give her the look that said he was just trying to act natural so that her father wouldn't suspect what they'd been doing.

Magneto nodded, and gestured for Rogue to follow him.

"Always the suck up," Pietro muttered, his eyes burning with hatred for the older boy.

"Pietro, a word," Magneto said, grabbing his son by the shoulder and dragging him off. Remy watched with delight as they disappeared downstairs ahead and went into the room marked 'Office' which was Magneto's personal quarters.

Rogue chewed her lip as she followed Remy down the stairs slowly. "Are they always like that?" she asked, her voice somewhat low, as if she were afraid of being overheard.

"Mostly," Remy admitted, he pulled the strap of her bag over his shoulder, his hand grazing the smooth banister of the spiral staircase. "So...you've come over to the dark side, huh?" he teased, as he reached the bottom of the staircase he waited for her, and watched her take each step.

He couldn't deny he was incredibly surprised she'd decided to come here. This wasn't the comfortable mansion she was used to, and the people here weren't the nice friendly and genuine people she was accustomed to (perhaps other than Piotr). It'd be a rather rude awakening for her, even if it was – as far as he had heard – the second time around for her.

"Ah guess," she shrugged.

Remy led the way to a door which led down another spiral staircase into the basement area, he turned on the light before making his way down, "got to say, I'm a bit surprised. Didn't think I'd ever see the day you just ditched your cause and decided to join the _wrong side,_" he admitted.

"I didn't _ditch my cause," _she responded calmly, still following him. "I just...needed a change."

"Well, you'll find a big change here," he admitted. "First thing I should really go over with you is the basic rules here," he explained as they walked. "Do what you like, come and go as you please, as long as there isn't anything planned..." he continued, "Magneto is cool with you going and doing what you like out there in the big world..."

"That's kind of cool, Ah guess," Rogue admitted.

"There's exceptions," Remy noted, "No alcohol and definitely absolutely no drugs. He has a zero tolerance policy regarding them. You do either...your ass would be out the door so fast, you'd think you'd time travelled."

"Okay then."

"Also, there's a rule about bringing friends in. It's not like there's anything for us to _hide_ here or whatever, but..." Remy paused, "All the same, no friends are allowed in, and definitely no dates. You bring a date in here, it's definitely asking for trouble."

"That won't be a problem," she responded, sounding oddly bitter.

Remy found the door marked 'Janitor' and opened it, stepping in as he flicked the light switch. It was a windowless dingy little room, but it had been set up with a simple metal cot and some clean sheets at least. For now there was no other furniture other than a metal chair.

"I see Magneto had a bed set up for you," he put the sports bag down on the bed. "I know it's probably not what you're used to...it's definitely not the _Hilton_ or _Waldorf Astoria..._"

Rogue moved to stand next to him, still looking down at the bed, "It's fine. Ah didn't expect anything special-" she stopped, her nose wrinkled and she turned to look at him, "what's that...smell?"

"What smell?" he blinked, he sniffed, wondering if perhaps somehow she'd managed to smell sex on him.

Rogue moved over to the nearest wall, slipping one of her gloves off and reaching out to run her bare fingers against the bricks, she examined them, her fingers glistened with water.

"Oh, the damp," Remy chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as he looked down at her hand. "It's an old building, some of the rooms are like this," he reached out and touched the wall himself, it definitely felt cold and wet and almost slippery. "There's probably somethin' that can be done. I can look into it..." he offered.

"No...you know what, it's fine," she said resignedly.

"C' mon. Let me show you the rest of the place. On the bright side, it doesn't get much worse..."

* * *

Rogue hadn't expected Remy LeBeau to have rejoined with the Acolytes. When Magneto had called his name upon her arrival so that he could announce her joining the team, well...it had come as a shock. She honestly had thought she'd never see the boy again.

As she followed him from place to place in the warehouse, her thoughts were clouded with memories of the last time she had seen him back in Louisiana, when he had essentially tricked her into helping him. She'd never _quite_ forgiven him for doing so, and was finding it hard to try to keep from broaching the subject and asking for a proper apology.

Still, a long time had passed and if they were going to work together on this team then she supposed she should just let it go. There were more important things to worry about...like Magneto's plans to help her. She wasn't sure what he had in store, or if he had already started working out what he'd do, but she was sure in her heart that he'd find a way to do something for her.

Their tour ended in what Remy referred to as the mess hall; Remy was a gentleman, and let her enter the room first, holding the door open for her and switching the light on for her as they went. The room was split between a large dining area, and a kitchen hidden behind hatches which were all closed.

Rogue glanced around; the room was painted with cream emulsion and as far as she could tell, was definitely the brightest and warmest place in the entire warehouse. As she stepped into the middle room, she ran her glove idly along one of the dining tables, which was surprisingly clean. "So...who does the cookin'?"

"We all do our own thing, really. Most of the time the others too lazy to even bother cookin'. They order pizza, or Chinese. Sometimes they bring home a bucket."

"So no one cooks?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think I seen Alvers, or the twins in here actually attempt to do anything that wasn't with the microwave or the toaster," he explained.

"What about the big guy?" Rogue asked, "He didn't get that bulked up by eatin' fried chicken."

"Colossus?" Remy asked, "he cooks every now and then, but nothin' more complicated than an omelet, or bacon," Remy replied as he moved over to the door leading into the kitchen area, he disappeared and then one of the hatches was rolled up with a shuddering, scraping crash.

"Ah know you like to cook," she admitted, she folded her arms casually.

"How you know somethin' like that?" He leaned out of the hatch.

"We've touched," she reminded, "Ah've seen your memories, Ah know about the things you like."

"You might know _some _of the stuff 'bout me, but chere, you ain't _barely_ scratched the surface," he stated, smirking all the while, "if you like, Gambit will cook for you some time."

"Ah'm not a fan of squirrel gumbo, just so you know," Rogue moved up to the hatch.

Remy let his elbows rest against the counter between them, and he met her eyes, "Tell me what you like, chere, I'll cook it for you," he said, feigning a whimsical and dreamy tone. "Anythin' you want."

"Cut the cute act, it's not workin'," she smirked at him, she pushed a gloved hand against his face and shoved him back a little.

He chuckled but resisted, he leaned up, "okay, just checkin' to see if you still have your wits about you."

"Why wouldn't Ah?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

"Because..." Remy seemed to almost look momentarily concerned, "you're here," he finished the thought. "You're a smart girl, Rogue. You know this place ain't a bed of roses. Either you completely lost your senses _and_ your self-respect..." he commented, "or..."

"Or?" she frowned, feeling slightly antagonised now.

"Or..." he shrugged, "you're gettin' somethin' out of it."

Rogue tried to remain composed, but she was sure he must have seen her face darken. She fought the urge to pick a fight on this. _Just keep your mouth shut. The more you tell him, the more he has to use against you later,_ she reminded herself. _It's none of his business why you're here...he's fishing, that's all._

Remy came back around to the dining area to meet with her, and he stood inches away, still looking her in the eye. "I ain't stupid, chere. I know there's only one reason you'd sell your soul to the devil. And that reason...is that he told you he can fix you."

Up until this point, she'd held onto her irritation a fair bit, but now the anger refused to be held back any more, and furious, she pushed her hands against his chest and forced him back a foot away from her. "What the hell does it matter to you? You afraid you won't have my power to fall back on the next time your daddy gets himself kidnapped by _the Rippers_?"

Remy steadied himself, "C'mon, Rogue. That's ancient history."

"Which you never said sorry for," she pointed out coolly.

"If you'd given me the chance back then, I would have," he promised. "But you interrupted me, you didn't want to hear it back then. So it never got said. But I got no problems sayin' sorry when sorry is due."

"All right," she folded her arms and waited. "Go on then..."

He blinked, and took a moment, he looked around the room, almost as if he were looking for the right words to be painted on the wall for him to repeat.

"Ah'm waiting," she said, she glanced at her watch and tutted.

"How sorry do I need to be? Should I be on my knees to do this?"

"Sure, get on the floor like the dog you are," she gestured.

He gave a strange laugh, but sure enough, he dropped down to his knees, and took her gloved hand within both of his, "I'm _so_ sorry that I dragged you all the way to Louisiana without bein' straight with you that I needed your help to save Jean-Luc."

Rogue yanked her hand away from him, "that's a really pathetic attempt at an apology," she admitted.

Remy paused, thought some more, then added, "I know it wasn't what you needed, I know it was selfish and that I should have been honest..."

"And?" she asked.

"I'll...never do it again?"

"And?"

"And..." he frowned a little, searching for a response, "I'll make it up to you."

"How?" she demanded.

"I'll find a way," he promised. "Can I get up now?"

"Fine," she gestured him to stand, "and you're not off the hook yet."

Remy grinned at her, but then his smile suddenly seemed to fall quickly, and Rogue saw that he was looking beyond her, his face seemed to go from light to sombre in a matter of seconds. She turned to look behind her to see what he was looking at.

Wanda Maximoff was standing there, her expression somewhat dark. Rogue knew from experience that whenever this girl was around, it usually meant trouble. Those kinds of powers – like her own – were not easily controlled, and it usually meant chaos for all involved.

"Remy," said Wanda, her voice eerily cold, "my dad wants to see you."

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute."

"Now," Wanda responded, and with that, she left the room after throwing one last glance in their direction.

Rogue hugged herself, feeling a slight chill suddenly, "she always like that?"

"Not always," Remy responded, his expression thoughtful for a moment. "Do you think you know your way around enough to find your way to your room and stuff?"

"Ah think so," Rogue admitted after a moment.

"Okay. I'll...see you later."

Watching as Remy left her alone in the mess hall, Rogue felt a strange sense of abandonment. When he was gone, she looked around the room and sighed. She'd suddenly never felt so alone.

* * *

Remy stepped into Magneto's private quarters. It was a room in the warehouse marked "Office", although it had been extensively altered since the days it'd served as one. It was a large room, lined with sheet metal and there were no windows, giving it that almost prison like feel. On split level flooring (also metal), Magneto's bed was there, partly concealed behind chain curtains, which slightly shimmered in the low light from the lamp on the U-shaped desk on the more 'officious' side of the room. Magneto had many computers there, some laptops, some touch screen computers, and one questionably old desktop computer which Remy thought may be older than he was.

Magneto stepped from behind the curtain, it made a soft delicate chinking sound as he came down the two steps, his feet making a definitive 'clunk' on the metal.

"You wanted to see me?" Remy asked, he straightened his posture and held his hands at his sides, looking the man straight in the eye. Magneto liked direct eye contact, confidence (but not complete oblivious self-assurance) and respect, and Remy had always made sure to show all three in every one-to-one meeting.

"Yes," said Magneto, he moved to the desk and sat down almost lazily in the leather chair, he put his hands together, fingertips touching almost delicately. The two men looked at each other.

_He knows. He knows what I've been doing with Wanda and he's going to kill me, _thought Remy, seeing a strange all-knowing twinkle in Magneto's pale eyes. Magneto said nothing for a moment, and just continued to gaze at Remy, as if he were weighing him up. _He's probably deciding which one of my balls he's going to keep as a souvenir for a keychain,_ Remy thought uneasily.

Finally, the man spoke, "I've been considering things a great deal, Gambit."

Remy said nothing, he simply listened. He kept his jaw set, his eyes never left Magneto's all the while. _Considerin' how you're going to castrate me? _ He thought at Magneto.

"I'd like you to lead the team. _Officially._"

Full of relief and somewhat slightly startled, Remy stared down at his boss.

"You seem surprised. What did you think I was going to ask?"

"I don't know," Remy lied, "maybe to set me up with a job or something..." he shrugged.

"So...how do you feel about taking the team over?"

Remy avoided answering the question by asking another, "Aren't you going to be leading us?"

"I'll be preoccupied, I have some things I'll be working on and I will have very little time to ensure any training is given, or any orders will be properly carried out in the field. This is a young man's game," explained Magneto rather matter-of-factly. "You may have noticed, I am not a young man."

"What about Pietro?" Remy queried, avoiding agreeing with the comment about his age. Magneto still had some youthful good looks, despite a few deep lines on his slightly tanned face, his bright eyes were young and full of life, but the sombre moods, and preoccupation seemed to sometimes throw years on the older man.

Since the team had reformed, Remy had always assumed that Pietro would be taking lead of the team. Perhaps it was because he was after all, Magneto's son and it would have been by default, or perhaps it was just that Pietro certainly liked to _think_ he was the leader when it came to the small team of misfits. Remy had been preparing himself for the day he'd have to tell Quicksilver that regardless of authority or who was in charge, he would _never _take orders from him, and that should it come to it, he'd leave the team in the dust rather than subject himself to being under Quicksilver's rule.

"Pietro is too impetuous. Actions now, ask questions later. I don't need rash decisions and thoughtlessness. Pietro would lead you all to doom, Wanda is too..." Magneto searched for a way to put it without being too cruel.

"Unpredictable," Remy put in, quietly thinking that the things she'd done in bed with him earlier he had definitely _not _predicted she would do. "With her powers, I mean," Remy added, hoping Magneto wouldn't sense where his mind had momentarily wandered to.

"Yes," Magneto agreed, "Avalanche lets his temper lead him, and Colossus follows orders very well but doesn't seem to be suited to being able to _give_ them. Then I come to you, who led the team before."

"Briefly," replied Remy. He thought to himself it was less 'leading' and more 'bullying'. Not exactly a tactic he enjoyed using, but in certain cases, it proved successful. Especially when those involved were generally the bullies themselves and sometimes sheer pleasure was to be taken from giving a bully a taste of his own medicine.

Magneto continued, "unlike before, these are not acts of terrorism, we are not trying to gain public attention. We are working for a different cause now, and I need someone who is going to be able to control situations, not make them worse. This is why I have chosen you."

"It's not that I'm not up for the job," Remy replied, although in actuality, he really didn't want to be in charge of any team. He'd always been more interested in doing his own thing, not having to be the one to make decisions and be responsible for others. "It's just...the second time around, I'm not sure they'll still follow me."

"They'll have little choice in the matter if they expect to remain here," Magneto explained. "I'll make the announcement tomorrow, of course. Once everyone is here. Tabitha Smith is joining us tomorrow, that should complete the team."

Remy nodded. Inwardly, he swore, already feeling quite defeated, and he had to force himself to remain focused enough to maintain a calm expression that hid how uneasy he felt about this entire situation. Tensions tightened the back of his neck at the thought of having to take over telling the team what to do whenever they went out there to deal with whatever threats Magneto thought they should deal with.

"Did you help Rogue settle in?" Magneto asked, changing the subject.

"I think so," Remy replied, "she's been shown around, I took her bag down for her, let her see where the mess hall is, showed her where to find everything she needs..." he explained.

"And you have explained the rules to her?"

"I made everything clear."

"Thank you. You may go now."

Remy gave a curt nod and turned to leave; he hovered at the door momentarily, fingers lingering against the handle, but not quite twisting it.

"Is something wrong?" asked Magneto after a moment.

"It's just..." Remy paused, "why is Rogue here?" he asked, although he was almost positive he already knew the answer.

"Her reasons for being here are personal. I did advise not to question about it," Magneto reminded.

"You advised us not to ask _her._" Still hovering, Remy braved the situation and continued speaking. "She's a nice girl, boss..." he said quietly, "real nice. Not like the rest of us, you know."

"I am not going to turn her into a bad person," replied Magneto, his voice cool, like cold steel. "If your concern is that I am going to _utilize _her powers-"

"Oh, no, no no no," Remy shook his head quickly. "That never crossed my mind," he said truthfully.

"It is not like you to be concerned about anyone else, Gambit," Magneto observed. "Is there something I should know?"

"Well..." pausing, Remy considered how he should word this. How he should make it seem more business like than _personal, _not that it was really remotely personal at all. He was just interested. He hated not knowing the full story. "My trainin' as a professional Thief always taught me to look for weak spots."

"And you see those weak spots in Rogue?"

"Yes," he stated honestly.

Magneto paused, "if I'm honest with you," he stood up and paced a little, "I see the same things you do. She is very..."

"Fragile," Remy finished, feeling slightly embarrassed about using the word to refer to any girl.

"Yes. Extremely," Magneto nodded, "but I know you will ensure that this fragility does not affect her ability to work as part of the team. I also ask that you do all you can to help her adjust and settle here, and take care of any issues that she needs taking care of."

"Of course. Thanks, boss," Remy replied, and finally, he left the room, breathing a heavy sigh of relief once the door was closed behind him.

When he arrived at his room on the third floor, he found that Wanda was already there waiting for him, lying stretched across his bed, smoking of his cigarettes. "What'd he want?"

"Nothing important," lied Remy quite well. He wanted to avoid the subject of his taking over the team for now, he was sure Wanda would disagree with the decision as much as he expected her brother would. He'd rather avoid an argument for now and let Magneto deal with it in the morning when he made the announcement.

"Oh come on," Wanda sat up, "he must have wanted something."

"To discuss Rogue."

"Did he tell you why she's here?" Wanda raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes quizzical.

"No. He just said we should be nice to her. I think since I've had a few run ins with her in the past, he wanted to make sure I wouldn't fight with her," he shut the door and stepped over.

"Didn't look like you were doing much fighting in the mess hall."

"I can be civil when needs be," Remy shrugged. "Shouldn't you get back to your room before dear ol' Papa catches you?" he took the cigarette from her and inhaled a long, deep drag, he closed his eyes and let the smoke sink in and soothe him. Right now, it was exactly what he needed.

"I thought..." Wanda began as she reached for the buttons of his jeans and began pulling them open one at a time, "we'd pick up where we left off."

"Y'know, I'm tired..." he admitted; his mind was too full of thoughts and questions, and concerns about being leader to really focus on trying to satisfy Wanda Maximoff's insatiable lust. "It's been a long day."

"Isn't like _you_ to turn down this," Wanda observed, she pushed his t-shirt up a little and kissed his stomach, which made him move back a little as he exhaled the smoke.

"I'm serious," he stated, "I'm tired."

"I'm not," she insisted, she stood up, backing him up to the door. "You weren't so tired earlier," she pushed her body against his and brushed a few kisses against his jaw, roughly handling his groin at the same time, which while sore, was something of a turn on.

"Earlier I was in the mood," he moaned.

"Certainly feels like you're in the mood," she pointed out. "Is this whole...hard to get thing..." she kissed his mouth, "an act?"

Remy laughed uncomfortably against her mouth, for the way she said 'hard' had put very heavy emphasis on the 'h' just for him, and it had been just enough for the moment to shift the situation in her favour. Besides, for now, it seemed easier to give in than spend time arguing over this. In defeat, he mumbled, "I do like to roleplay."

"Mmm, me too."

* * *

**End of Part Two**


	3. MagneticAttractionPart3

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Three**

* * *

The next morning, everyone was awakened at nine-thirty, and when Rogue arrived to the meeting in the mess hall, she was the only other member of the team (other than Remy LeBeau, and Magneto of course) who had bothered to get dressed. Looking at the tired crew of mutants in their pyjamas, there was very little enthusiasm there, it seemed. These were _not _morning people.

Rogue thought to herself that Logan would have kicked many asses back at the Mansion if the young mutants had shown up to a meeting dressed in pyjamas, their hair all messed. Judging by Magneto's expression, she wasn't the only one who thought this in bad taste.

Magneto hadn't started the meeting yet, he was still waiting for others to arrive. Wanda seemed to be one of them. Magneto and Remy LeBeau were at the other side of the large mess hall, out of earshot, talking quietly to each other, their faces both serious. Rogue glanced towards both men curiously as she pulled a chair out and sat down; she saw Remy throw her a brief smile and a wink. She looked away quickly, feeling slightly ill-at-ease with this. Her eyes shifted to across the table where she saw Tabitha Smith who was clad in a rather revealing polka-dot top which seemed to have gotten the attention of both Pietro Maximoff _and _Remy LeBeau, who kept throwing the occasional glance at the girl's chest.

"Hey," Rogue said, trying to sound bright, and seem at least thankful to see her. "Ah didn't know you'd joined."

"I arrived late last night," explained Tabitha, she had a pink nail file out and was filing away at her purple glitter acrylic nails with expert precision. "I went solo for a while, but it's too boring. I thought about going back to the institute but the whole X-Men thing is just _way_ too strict. At least here, I don't have a curfew," said the blonde, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Know what this meeting is about?" Rogue whispered across the table.

"I have no clue, all I know is Gambit has something to do with it."

"Oh?" asked Rogue, she leaned over the table a little more to listen as Tabitha whispered back.

"Him and the living Magnet have been whispering and mumbling for the past ten minutes since I've been here," Tabitha picked up a juice box from the table and took a long sip as her eyes travelled up and down Gambit's lithe frame wistfully. After releasing the straw from her lips, she said, "is it just me or did he get _a lot_ hotter?"

"Ah..." Rogue began but couldn't quite find the right words as she let her eyes raise to his chiselled face, his dark intense eyes, his brown hair, which had grown out much more since she'd seen him before the summer. It hadn't been until now she'd noticed that he had gotten rid of that ridiculous goatee. "Ah don't know. Ah've never really thought of him that way..." she shrugged. It was a lie of course. Rogue had definitely noticed how good looking the boy was, and how he'd seemed to have become more appealing as time had worn on. Everything about him was perfect from the straightness to his teeth to his deep tan, his shiny brown hair, and his absolutely flawless complexion.

But these days, Rogue refused to let herself admit that she found _any _boy attractive. She'd already gone through the heartache of wishing for the attention of one boy she could never have, and she wasn't about to let herself go through that again. Any young good looking man in real life, no matter how many inches away he may be from her physically, may as well as be just as untouchable as an actor in a film, or the good looking front man of her favourite band.

_No point in wanting what you can't have,_ Rogue reminded herself as she threw a quick glance in Remy LeBeau's direction. She wasn't all that sure she would have actually _wanted _him even if she hadn't been plagued with poisoned skin. "Ah don't think Ah could actually ever think of him like that."

"Oh come _on,_ how could you _not?_" Tabitha cooed. "The accent, the eyes...there's just something about him. I definitely wouldn't say _no _to letting him rock my world."

Rogue rolled her eyes at Tabitha. Tabitha was the kind of girl who was rumoured to have that 'wouldn't say no' attitude to most good looking young men. After Tabitha had left Bayville some time ago, the rumours about her wild ways and adventures with the young men of both basketball and football teams at the High School had circulated for months. Rogue wasn't sure if any of it was true, but Tabitha's general attitude and ease with young men in general seemed to indicate there may be some seeds of truth in it all somewhere.

"He likes to use girls, you know," Rogue said quietly; she hadn't meant to. She hadn't even _really _been referring to sex, but rather to the time he'd dragged her to Louisiana under the pretence it'd been for her benefit only for it later to turn out that he'd intended to use her and her powers to rescue his no-good adoptive father. Rogue immediately wished she hadn't spoken further.

"I've heard those rumours too," Tabitha admitted as she went back to her expert nail filing, "heard all sorts of stuff about him.."

"Like what?" Rogue asked.

"He only ever does the _one date_ thing, and he _always_ gets lucky. From what I hear, _no girl has ever turned him down._"

"How was your first night in new home?" came a deep voice, thick with Russian accent. Rogue turned to her left to see Piotr Rasputin taking his seat. Piotr was in a robe, at least, his hair slightly mussed and his face needing a shave. The creases from his pillow had left faint lines on the left side of his handsome face.

"Oh, it was fine," Rogue admitted. Truthfully, it hadn't been the most comfortable bed she'd ever slept in, but once she _had_ fallen asleep, it had been a very deep and restful sleep. She'd even woken up feeling rested. Part of her wondered if it was that she'd been more tired than usual due to having spent quite a few sleepless nights trying to decide whether she would see Magneto or not. The other part of her thought that perhaps the restful sleep had come courtesy of the feeling that perhaps finally, she may get somewhere with her powers.

"Hey, you know Gambit well, right?" Tabitha glanced over towards Piotr, Rogue could see the blonde weighing the large Russian up with that same almost lustful expression she'd had for Remy.

"Somewhat," admitted Piotr, he gave a shrug, which to Rogue seemed quite uncomfortable and awkward.

"Is it true he's _never _been turned down for a screw?" Tabitha asked crudely.

Rogue's cheeks grew hot, and as she glanced towards Piotr, she saw that his had as well. He looked away from both girls, and replied with slight fluster.

"I honestly could not say."

"I've heard he _only_ ever does the one date minimum. No second dates ever."

Piotr did not respond.

"Oh come on, surely you must know if that's true."

"I have no idea. What Gambit does in his personal time is his business...not mine," Piotr responded, he seemed to be hoping the subject would be dropped altogether.

"Wanda," said Magneto loudly as Wanda finally entered the mess hall. She'd decided to dress, although she was still slightly under-dressed for a Saturday morning. She'd have been _under-dressed _for clubbing on a Saturday _night_, Rogue decided as she glanced up and down at the young woman. A scarlet red basque pushed her breasts up impressively to where Rogue would have mistaken them for silcone. Her pierced naval was exposed and a pair of extremely tight wet-look leggings showed the exceptional tone of her slender legs.

"Yikes," said Lance Alvers, who was sitting at the very end of the dining table, munching on a donut, "who let Elvira out of her coffin?" he asked as he put his feet up on the table.

"Same person who's going to put _you in one,_" snapped Wanda. The air seemed to crackle in response to her irritability. The chair Lance was sitting on collapsed beneath him, the legs just breaking entirely. Rogue, having already noted all the chair was extremely sturdy (at least gathering by the one next to her taking the weight of Piotr Rasputin), only gathered Wanda's powers had affected the chair. It was hard to say if this was a deliberate act or accidental; regardless, Lance had gotten what he deserved.

"Wanda," hissed Magneto.

Wanda just smirked and took a seat at one of the other tables, casually crossing one leg over the other.

Magneto glanced at everyone, seeming to mentally count heads, "Is everyone here?" he asked.

"Yes," and "yeah, whatever," came the disgruntled mutters of everyone who would rather be sleeping in this fine Saturday morning.

"I'd like to make a few announcements," said Magneto, clasping his hands together, "first, Tabitha will be joining the team," he gestured to Tabitha who stood up and gave a dramatic bow.

"That's all we need, another bathroom hog who always uses all the hot water," Lance muttered. "You touch my car, I'll kill you," he warned the blonde, who in response, gave him the finger out of Magneto's view.

Magneto continued, "The second announcement, is that I've finally decided, since the team is now fully formed, that you should have a leader who can go out with you into the field, when I cannot."

Pietro stood up, "you know I'll make a great leader, dad."

"No you won't, sit down, and be quiet," Magneto warned.

Pietro's face dropped as Magneto gestured to Remy LeBeau, who was standing by the wall with his hands behind his back. Rogue saw the mixed expressions of everyone. Those like Piotr, and Tabitha, they did not seem all that bothered by the prospect of following Remy LeBeau's orders. On the other hand, Lance Alvers, Pietro Maximoff and Wanda Maximoff all looked very conflicted on the subject.

Rogue raised an eyebrow at Remy, who repeated the gesture back to her with a simple smirk. _At least I won't be following orders from Quicksilver. He'd probably get me killed,_ Rogue thought to herself.

"Why him?!" demanded Pietro furiously, still standing, his face going red.

"The anger you're exhibiting now only confirms my choice was the correct one," pointed out Magneto.

"He's a hick and a sneak thief! What does he know about running a team?"

Rogue could see from where she sat that Remy's face had darkened a little; he gave Pietro a look that meant business, and Pietro's expression changed to one of almost slight regret, as if he _knew_ he'd pay for his words later in private.

"Those who do not wish to follow Gambit as a leader are free to leave the team entirely," offered Magneto, folding his arms and frowning.

Pietro closed his mouth and sat back down, he turned away from his father and from Gambit; his expression was foul, his blue eyes seemed almost black with fury. Rogue caught the look of triumph that was brief on Remy's face before Magneto continued speaking.

"Gambit will decide when training schedules are to begin, he will decide what you will do in the field, and you will all take orders from him without question. Understood?" No one answered, but Magneto took it that it was none the less. He placed a hand on Remy's shoulder, "you are now in command. Do as you will," he stated, and he turned promptly on his heel and walked away, leaving the room entirely. The heavy thud of his plain black boots echoed as Magneto moved further and further away from the mess hall.

All of the members of The Acolytes were staring at Remy LeBeau, some still seemed to be quite disbelieving that the young man had just been appointed leader.

Remy took charge as soon as Magneto was completely out of earshot; he had a cold look of determination that Rogue wasn't all that familiar with. She thought it amazing how the change of expression could almost make him look like a completely different person from the boy she'd been joking with here in the mes hall only last night.

"First things first," Remy began, he glanced around at them all, "when you're all called to a meeting like this in the morning, you dress for it. You were all given fifteen minutes to get your asses here, and most of you are still in pyjamas. Magneto weren't happy, and I ain't either. If we'd had to take off for a fight immediately after the meetin', then we'd be wastin' time waiting for you to get your asses in gear to be ready."

Pietro snorted in contempt at this new rule.

"Your first trainin' session is going to be tomorrow morning. At _five_ am."

Almost everyone in the mess hall groaned, and even Rogue did inwardly. She'd almost believed for a moment that coming here would be an escape from things like five am training sessions.

"I don't care if you like sleepin' in on a Sunday. If you ain't dressed and ready at five am sharp tomorrow morning...then there's consequences. Magneto given me rights to hand out punishments to _anyone_ who goes against what I say."

"Are we done here?" Pietro asked coldly, he looked at a non-existent watch on his wrist.

Remy moved towards the boy, spinning his chair towards him, and putting a foot up on the v of space left between Pietro's legs, just _narrowly_ missing kicking him in the groin, "you wanna start with me _so _early, Quicksilver? No one is holding a gun to your head here. If you want to leave the team, then there's the door," he gestured to the door at the end of the room, "don't let it hit you in the ass on the way out."

Rogue folded her arms, feeling a slight chill over her. It was odd how very strict and almost bully-like Remy LeBeau could be in a position of authority. Intimidation from Remy seemed to work rather well on Pietro, as the young boys face paled, and his eyes widened just a little.

"That's it for now," Remy removed his foot from Pietro's chair, "you can all go do whatever. Enjoy your Saturday, because tomorrow it's time to get to work."

"This isn't over," Pietro got up out of his chair; using his powers, he had left the room faster than the speed of light.

Remy put his hands in his pockets casually and leaned against the nearest support pillar casually, giving a smirk, "no, I expect it isn't," he said, more to himself than anyone else.

Everyone began to filter out of the room slowly, mumbling and whispering amongst themselves as they went. Rogue remained seated, watching them all, wondering if this was really going to work with Remy in command.

She'd almost expected Remy to leave the room too, but he'd remained, he was leaning into the pillar still, arms folded, eyes focused on the door as the last person left and the door closed.

"You're kind of a hard-ass," Rogue admitted, when they were finally alone.

Remy snorted a little and shrugged, he rolled his head, it giving a soft crack as if in protest. "Leadership 101," he threw a glance in her direction, "you don't make friends, you make enemies."

"Ah don't like bullies," Rogue stood up and pushed her chair under the table.

"It's not bullying," Remy responded matter-of-factly. "It's more like...intimidation. And it works with immature jerks like Quicksilver. All talk, but when it comes right down to it, he knows I could beat him in a fight."

"But he's faster than you," she pointed out. "Way faster."

"Fast isn't everything," Remy explained. "You push through something fast, you're more likely to make a mistake. His body and movement may be _far_ faster than mine, but his mind sure ain't."

Rogue hovered by the table, "Ah never figured you for the leader-type."

"Not quite Cyclops, Am I?" Remy smirked at her knowingly, making her cheeks turn red at the thought he may know her feelings about him.

"They won't make it easy for you, you know," Rogue quickly tried to change the subject.

"They'll find it goes both ways," Remy responded, "I'm not about to make it easy on them either, and the harder they try to make it for me, the worse it'll get for them," he replied. "I can give as good as I get, and I ain't afraid of mutiny."

Rogue listened to him, her eyes travelling along the slightly cracked walls, and the dirty floor tiles, "Can Ah ask a question?"

"Sure," he responded, watching her as she moved.

"It's been botherin' me ever since I came here yesterday and saw the exterior."

"Go on," he offered.

"Why is this place such a shithole?"

Remy laughed, "it is?"

"Damp walls, old fashioned televisions, the sofa is about fifty years old, the tables are made out of tires and old bits of wood. Ah mean...what gives? Magneto has _money,_ Ah've heard the Professor say so, so...why aren't you guys all in a nicer place with good furniture and a proper bedrooms?"

After a moment, Remy pushed himself away from the pillar and met her at the other table, "you're right. He does have money. Bucket-loads of it, actually. And you're right, this place is a shithole, at least...it is compared to what you're used to, which is a nice cosy big mansion with good antique furnishings and feather pillows."

"I just don't understand if Magneto has bucket-loads of money...why are you all living like this when this place could be _so _much nicer..." Rogue gestured around them.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you the real reason he chose this place," Remy admitted.

"Try me," Rogue folded her arms, examining his sharp face in the harsh overhead lighting.

"Lets compromise. How 'bout first, you tell me if I was right about my guess that Magneto's gonna try and help you fix your powers," Remy offered.

She couldn't explain why she felt so defensive when it came to this, and so she reacted instinctively, "How about Ah kick your ass and tell you to go to hell," she replied, and she move to walk by him, only for him to grab her arm and yank her bank gently.

"Rogue," he said, his voice serious, "I'm teasin'," he stated, "Just kiddin' around."

"Yeah? Do Ah look like Ah'm laughin'?" Rogue demanded icily.

"No. And I don't blame you. May have sounded cruel, but I said it because I'm tryin' to make a point."

"And what's that? That you're a dick?" Rogue demanded coldly.

"That you're touchy about this...if you'll pardon the wording," he explained matter of factly, "come here..." he led her by the arm back to the chair she'd been sitting in and he pulled it out for her and urged her to sit.

Rogue sat down, folding her arms stubbornly and looking away from him.

Remy sat opposite her, he leaned forward on the table a little, "you're in the Acolytes now. This ain't the X-Men. These people ain't gonna give you space to breathe, they ain't gonna be nice to you, and be sensitive and compassionate like your friends were," he explained.

Her eyes raised to his; eerie black with ruby red irises stared back at her. The odd thing was that there was an almost sincere expression on his face.

"I'm a master at lying and hiding how I feel about things, Rogue," Remy continued, "that's how I can tell that you're trying to hide that the reason you're here is because of your powers..."

"If Ah am here because of that, it's none of your business," Rogue shot angrily.

"Yes, fine, it's none of my business," he admitted, "I agree. Absolutely," he nodded.

"So why the hell are you picking on me now?"

"Because I wanna make sure you're tough enough to handle it when the others start asking you about it. You show the kind of reactions to them that you just showed me...and damn, they're gonna eat you alive. Especially Quicksilver. You give him the opportunity to get to you and he'll continue doing it."

Rogue's eyes fell to the table, her stomach churned. She hated this conversation and wished he'd just leave her alone.

"Magneto asked me to make sure I help you in any way I can," Remy admitted, "and I will. But take my advice. Don't cut yourself and wave the blood around for the sharks, okay?" he stood up. "And to answer your question," he gestured to the mess hall, "this place is a shit hole, because for one thing, Magneto believes if you give people everythin' they want, they ain' gonna work for it."

"And the other thing?" Rogue asked, feeling queasy from their discussion moments ago. She felt incredibly foolish that she'd completely chased the bait that Remy had laid out for her.

"You'll find out tomorrow morning at 5am," Remy smirked as he headed for the door. "Enjoy your Saturday."

As Remy was leaving the mess hall, Tabitha entered once again, making it obvious as she walked by him that she was looking him up and down and admiring. She offered a flirtatious smile, and he returned it before he disappeared out the door. Rogue rolled her eyes at them both.

"Two minutes in the door, and you already have visitors," said Tabitha as she danced across the room.

"Huh?" Rogue rubbed the back of her neck absently.

"Scott and Kurt are outside the gates. They're here to see you. Pietro gave them the finger and told them he wouldn't let them in."

Rogue sighed, "where's the key to the gate?"

"I have no clue," Tabitha shrugged, "I'm new here too, remember. Anyway, one of the rules is we're not allowed to let people in."

As she walked through the warehouse to get outside, she passed by a few her new team, them giving her strange looks having already most likely heard the news that the X-Men were already here visiting. Instead of saying anything to them, she kept her head low, and went outside, and crossed the loading bay. It was just as Tabitha had said, Kurt and Scott were outside of the gate.

Rogue pondered why Kurt hadn't just teleported himself and Scott from one side to the other. Were they afraid to? Or was this simply restraint out of respect? Either way, they were on two different sides of the fence, and Rogue couldn't deny that right now, she definitely felt the irony of that.

"Hey," Rogue greeted, her head even lower than before. It was odd, she thought; she knew she should feel no shame in having left to come here, and yet, having Scott look at her that way...she felt immediate shame and embarrassment that made it hard to even look at him.

"Rogue, what's going on?" Scott asked immediately.

Rogue raised an eyebrow, he seemed on the edge of a tyrade.

"We were eating breakfast and you didn't show up, then the Professor drops this bombshell that you've _left_ to join the Acolytes? No reasons given. What gives? Why'd you just up and abandon us?"

She moved to the bars of the gate and put her hands on them. She noted there was now a good length of chain and a padlock around the gates. "Ah needed a change," she replied, she couldn't meet Scott's eye, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was wearing his ruby-quartz glasses.

"A change? You've joined the biggest band of _trouble makers _in Bayville," Scott pointed out.

Kurt's expression was one of hurt, he put his hands on the bars, they were close to hers, and so she moved back a little, despite she was wearing gloves. "Come on, Rogue. Is this some kind of undercover mission or something? You can't seriously want to stay here..."

"Listen, Ah know it's way out of left field..." Rogue looked around the loading dock to avoid looking at either of them, "Ah just need some space."

"From the X-Men?" Scott asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

"From everything," Rogue responded quickly.

"Just come back with us," Kurt pleaded, "whatever the problem is, we'll figure something out," he promised.

"It's not that simple," she sighed.

"Come on," Kurt sighed, "you don't belong here. You belong with us."

"Ah don't belong anywhere, right now," Rogue admitted, feeling the truth of this.

"So you're just turning your back on us, huh?" Kurt's expression was even more clouded with hurt than before. She wondered if perhaps he was upset more about the fact she hadn't spoken to him about this before she'd gone and done it. Kurt had always felt a bond with her due to their odd circumstances and connections with Mystique; he'd always seen her as a sister figure, and Rogue could see just by the look on his face he took this as the betrayal of family rather than a friend simply leaving to try a different avenue.

"Kurt, Ah'm not turning my back on _anyone. _Ah'm still around...we're still...friends, we'll still probably see each other. Ah just...need to get away."

"But to go to _Magneto?"_ Kurt admonished, his voice getting higher. "You know what he could do...he could hurt you, or turn you against people..."

Rogue looked over her shoulder uneasily, wondering if Magneto could hear this. Admittedly, she certainly couldn't blame Kurt for his assumption about this. Past experience had taught her that she was always at risk of being used to do harm to others.

"Kurt...go wait in the car," Scott said, putting his hand gently on Kurt's shoulder.

"But..." Kurt looked at Scott in disbelief.

"Go."

Kurt began to walk away, but then he stopped, and turned back to Rogue, gazing through the bars at her with a slight shake of his head, "you didn't even say goodbye to us..."

"Ah'm sorry..." she responded, truly meaning it, although she doubted it was really worth anything to him right now.

"Kurt...go," Scott gestured to the car, which was parked about twenty feet away.

Kurt did as he was told, although Rogue could see he was reluctant to do so. He gave one last pleading look to Rogue before he walked towards the car.

"At least tell me why you're here, Rogue," Scott requested, leaning closer to the bars, their faces were so close she could smell the toothpaste on his breath, and his fresh cologne. The cologne she'd always liked up until the day Jean had decided to admit she liked it too.

"Ah can't," Rogue chewed her lip, "Ah'm sorry."

"Oh come on. You just take off, not even a word or so much as a goodbye. You at least owe me an explanation," Scott responded.

Rogue stepped back from the bars, "Ah don't owe you anything, Scott."

"We're friends, aren't we?" Scott pointed out.

She didn't mean to, but she scoffed, "when was the last time we hung out together? Just me and you? When was the last time you spoke two words to me when it wasn't about me borrowing your car, or me catching a ride with you and Jean, or your giving me orders in the Danger Room or out on the field?" she demanded.

"Rogue..." he reached through the bars towards her, but she was already moving back towards the warehouse.

"We haven't really been friends for a long time."

"I was _always_ your friend."

"Then you'll understand when Ah say that Ah _had_ to leave. Ah have to do what's best for me, Ah just have to do what's right."

"How is this right?" Scott gestured to the place. "How is being with them _right_?"

"How is it wrong?"

"It..." Scott smacked his hand against the bar frustratedly, "it just is."

She examined him momentarily as he looked away from her, his face grim and his jaw set. For one brief moment, she thought of all the things she'd always liked about him. His determination, his handsome yet sometimes far too serious face, and the way he always spoke softly to her. Back when she'd first left the Brotherhood to be with the X-Men, the hope that she could get close to Scott had been one of the contributing factors.

"Ah don't have any reason to stay, any more, Scott," she spoke candidly. She wondered if he understood what she meant.

"Of course you do, Rogue," he replied to her warmly, he gripped the bars, "you have a million reasons..."

"Name them," Rogue suggested.

"I...uh..." he drew a breath.

"Exactly. You can't think of them either..." she snorted, "Ah don't get along with anyone anymore...Ah'm no further along with my powers than Ah was when Ah joined the team, and Ah've probably gone as far in my training as Ah can go."

"What about your friends?" Scott asked quietly.

"Ah'll still see everyone...at college...around," she put both hands on the bars and sighed. "Ah'm not leavin' Bayvile, after all. Just...leaving the Institute and the X-Men."

"Please reconsider..."

"Tell everyone Ah'm sorry Ah didn't say goodbye."

"Rogue..." he pleaded, took a hold of one of her gloved fists which was curled around a bar and he tried to hold it there tight, even though she couldn't see his eyes, she had the distinct impression they were locked to hers, "don't do this."

Rogue pulled her hand awkwardly away from his, her glove almost slipping off in the process. She turned and began the walk to the warehouse. She couldn't look back, didn't dare even glance over her shoulder, "bye, Scott."

After stepping inside the warehouse, she felt immediately like sobbing after this encounter, although she couldn't explain even to herself why. Being in such close vicinity of the other Acolytes, she refused to let one single tear shed. Instead, she sucked in a deep breath, pulled herself together, and made her way down to her new room to unpack her things, intent on making this her new home.

* * *

**End of Part Three**


	4. MagneticAttractionPart4

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Four**

* * *

Remy had left the warehouse to go for a walk around the woodlands that lay at the back of the warehouse; it was a slightly cold Autumn Saturday. The leaves had already long turned deep red and gold and were floating around in the slight breeze as he walked.

He sighed to himself as he flicked ash into the crunchy leafy floor beneath him. His mind was whirling with thoughts and feelings, mostly about being made to take over this poor excuse for a team of mutants. His gut told him this was all a huge mistake, that Magneto – whether the idea was logical to him or not – had definitely made the wrong decision.

Half of the team were never going to conform to the idea of following Remy LeBeau's orders, and Remy wasn't altogether convinced he had the patience to deal with them long term. Certainly he could have dealt with this as a short term solution only, as long as there was very little responsibility involved.

At least two of his team would be former students of Xavier's. They would be willing to work in a team at least, willing to follow orders. _If they can follow the orders of that one-eyed straight laced goody-two-shoes, Cyclops, then they shouldn't have an issue with what I say,_ thought Remy as he took a long drag from his cigarette and felt the smoke fill his lungs. His senses swimmed with the intoxication of it; it'd been his only cigarette all day.

He'd been so caught up in enjoying the cigarette and the solitude, he'd almost missed the sound of branches cracking underfoot. He glanced down at his own feet and realised that it had _not_ come from him. He was being followed.

He exhaled, looking around of him, listening to the wind in the trees, the rustling of leaves and the sounds of branches clicking together overhead. A crow was nearby, making some noise, and a few smaller birds were singing shrilly. He began walking again, his back growing tense as he took another drag from the cigarette before using the nearest tree to stub it out so he could pocket it for later.

Another crack, and shuffling.

He turned and looked behind him, no one was there, but the bushes were rustling. He crept over quickly, reaching into the pocket of his trenchcoat for his bo-staff. Who was this? Had Cyclops and Nightcrawler come to make a fuss over their recruiting Rogue into their team?

"It'd be pretty stupid to try and start a fight with a man who hasn't got enough nicotine in his system," said Remy matter-of-factly, as he reached out and pushed the side of the bush. A fox rushed out in panic, and took off running away, disappearing into the brush. A quick light step came from behind him, he swung towards his would-be assailant, bo-staff up and forced whoever it was into a tree.

He was surprised and yet, somehow _not _surprised to see the deep blue eyes of Wanda Maximoff staring back at him. She seemed moderately impressed, but not shocked that he had his bo-staff pressed against her throat and had her pinned against the trunk of an old oak.

"Wanda..." he frowned, "what the hell are you doing?" he demanded, without releasing her. "Why are you following me?!"

"I wanted to talk," Wanda replied coldly to him, her eyes meeting with his, her full lips pursed together tightly, as if she were holding back something particularly nasty that she wanted to say.

"So talk," he commanded. He could tell by the crazed look in her eyes that today was one of those _bad_ days she seemed to have more often than not. "You even take your medication today?" he asked. He wasn't particularly sure what medication she took, only that he'd seen in her cabinet next to her bed _several_ different bottles of pills and boxes of tablets that she was definitely _meant_ to be taking every morning. He'd heard Magneto ask her the same question every day for the past month; and as of yet, she'd still never given an answer.

Perhaps bringing up her medication had been the wrong thing to say this time around. In response, Wanda reached up, gripped the sides of his staff, and used it to propel him back, twisting them into a roll onto the leafy ground and pinning him down there, him with the staff at his throat now, her thighs straddling his waist. "Why didn't you tell me that he was making you leader?!" she demanded sharply.

"I didn't know," Remy spoke with a slightly constricted throat, he tried to swallow and put his hands against the staff and the thing was uncannily hot and seemed to be bending to her will. He glanced around them nervously, the trees were creaking ominously, as if they were bending to her will, threatening to break. The wind picked up, the leaves howled around them.

"Bullshit," Wanda loosened the staff slightly just enough to let him speak, "You knew last night when you came to your room."

"Does it matter? Even if I had known, I'd have been told not to say anything. You know what your father is like, he gives commands and he doesn't like to be disobeyed."

"I don't care! You should have told me."

"Why? Why is it _any _business of yours?"

Wanda's expression was conflicted. He wondered if perhaps she felt entitled to know simply because of the sexual nature of their relationship. "Did you even know Rogue was joining the team?" she suddenly demanded, her eyes squinting.

"Honestly had no clue," he said truthfully, "You mind movin' the staff? I can't breathe," he choked.

She took the staff away from his neck and she tossed it aside.

"What's it matter anyway?" he asked, coughing slightly.

"About Rogue?" she blinked.

"About me bein' leader. Why do you care? It ain't like you've _ever _done what you were told to. You always do your own thing."

"Yeah?" Wanda raised an eyebrow, "why does _that _sound so familiar?"

"Touche," he put his hands on her waist, unable to ignore the way her backside was pressing against his groin at this particular moment.

"It's not going to work, you know," Wanda warned, rolling her hips a little against him which caused him to take a deep breath through his nose and exhale through his mouth in a silent moan. "You'll never lead us, and that hard-ass act doesn't scare me."

"Doesn't it?" he flipped her over and pinned her to the ground, pushing his body into her and chuckling, "certainly scared your brother."

"I don't really feel like talking about _him _right now," she moved her head up and brushed her tongue against his bottom lip.

"Hmm, what you feel like talkin' 'bout then?" he murmured as he released her arms, he leaned down to kiss her neck. Right now, he needed a distraction from everything and Wanda's willingness couldn't have come at a better time.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, "I don't feel like talking _at all_."

* * *

Rogue had gone for a walk around the warehouse; although Remy had given her a tour last night, she remembered very little of the layout, and felt the best way to get accustomed to it was to simply go exploring. There was a narrow spiral staircase leading to a catwalk upstairs upon which there was a small room at the end and a metal door leading outside. The room was marked 'storage' and Rogue quietly moved towards it and tried the handle. It was locked – she hadn't noted the large padlock on the door.

"That is Gambit's room," came a voice at her side and she turned to see that the door leading outside had opened, and Piotr was leaning in, looking at her curiously.

"Oh," said Rogue. "Ah didn't know."

"He locks it when he is outside or not home," explained the large boy, his blue eyes falling upon the large padlock. "Are you looking for him?"

"Not really," Rogue replied truthfully. "Where is gumbo, anyway? I've been all over this place and haven't seen him."

"He went out about an hour ago. I did not ask where he was going," Piotr responded.

"Does he have much to steal?" Rogue wondered aloud as she touched the large padlock, thinking it was a little over the top.

"He does not keep many things. I think he prefers his privacy," Piotr answered for her.

"Oh," she said again.

"Are you lost?" asked Piotr, seeming to wonder why she was up here at all.

"Ah was just...walking around, trying to get used to the place. Ah still don't know where everything is."

"If you need help, let me know," Piotr offered kindly, "Although I am not very used to this place, myself."

Rogue followed him outside; there was a balcony on the outside back of the warehouse, which had a decent view of the woods which were slightly uphill. Golds, reds and greens painted the landscape against a slightly grey sky, the wind rustled the trees and carried the sounds of crows. "Nice view," she admitted.

"Yes, it is best thing about place," said Piotr.

Rogue turned to see what he'd been doing out here; there was an easel set up, and one of the chairs from the mess hall. A half-painted canvas almost mirrored the image of their view, except that the colours in Piotr's version of it were far more vivid, and pretty, and the sky was much bluer. "Wow, you did this?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"You're talented," she admitted, she moved closer to inspect, "it looks almost like a photograph..." she whistled.

"I made the sky more blue, because it is dull today," he admitted, his expression thoughtful.

Rogue smirked, "it's funny, I never pictured you for a painter. All the muscles...the haircut, I thought you'd be...you know..."

"Typical jock?" he asked.

"Well, yeah."

"I am bad at sports," he admitted.

"Ah hate sports," Rogue commented, she leaned on the rail of the balcony and stared out over the woods.

"How are you finding it, here?" asked Piotr, dabbing lightly at his canvas.

"It's...fine, really."

"It was nice of your friends to visit you so soon after you left," Piotr admitted.

"It wasn't a _visit,_ it was sort of like an intervention, and it failed," Rogue commented, feeling a little hurt about bringing it up.

"In...ter...ven...tion..." Piotr repeated the words, his English was good, but he clearly didn't understand the word.

"Intervention, you know like...someone trying to interfere and make you change your mind or do something differently?"

"Oh, so they want you to go back?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Piotr had a perfect opening to ask why she had not gone back, or why she _did _leave the X-Men, yet, he didn't bring the subject up. Rogue was glad he knew when to let a subject be dropped.

"So...what do you think of this whole thing about Remy taking over the leadership?" Rogue asked casually.

"I think...it might be a good idea," said Piotr, "he is good with clever thoughts, and fast plans."

"Enough with the compliments about him," Rogue chuckled, "what do you _really _think about him?"

"He is not bad person, he likes to pretend he is."

"Yeah," Rogue agreed, "Ah know that."

"Blackenin' my name, are we?" came Remy's voice from the open doorway.

Rogue gasped a little, having not heard his approach, she quickly recomposed herself, and turned, "all he said was that you're not so bad a guy."

"Exactly," said Remy, smirking, "Blackenin' my name. Keep people thinkin' I'm an asshole, or they won't be scared of me no more," he smacked Piotr's arm playfully. Rogue noted Remy's hands were slightly dirty; mud had worked its way into the little creases on his palms.

"You never scared me to begin with," Piotr chortled.

"What have you been doing? Rolling in the mud?" Rogue asked as she touched the sleeve of his trechcoat which was caked with dirt. She flicked the crumbling dirt from her gloves awkwardly.

"Somethin' like that," said Remy, he swept his hair – which was slightly sweaty – from his forehead, his cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Exercising in the woods?" asked Piotr.

"Exactly," Remy stated, seeming quite truthful about it, "you really work up a sweat in there," he added, almost smugly.

"What were you doing? Free running?" Rogue queried.

"Yeah," he leaned against the door frame.

"Is that how you get mark on your neck?" Piotr gestured to Remy's throat, pointing to a faint red line there that seemed to be turning into a bruise.

Remy looked slightly alarmed for a moment, and he brushed the backs of two fingers against his throat, seeming to remember something. Then, calmly, he replied, "Yeah, ran into a damn branch throat first. Hurt like hell, too."

"Idiot," Rogue commented.

"The woods are unpredictable. Just like me," Remy teased. "You ever free run, chere?" he asked casually of Rogue, a smirk still playing about his face. Rogue wondered what it was that he found so amusing all the time.

"Only when Ah'm running from something big and bad, or chasin' someone," she folded her arms, "Ah do mixed martial arts, a little kick boxing."

"I know, I've seen you in action, remember? I'm lookin' forward to trainin' with you. These guys don't know their asses from their elbows when it comes to hand to hand combat. Doesn't make for very interestin' workouts."

Rogue let her back lean against the rail. "I'll spar with you any time you want, LeBeau. I'll kick your ass," she grinned.

"You think?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, he folded his arms casually and crossed one ankle over the other.

"Ah don't think, Ah know," she folded her arms too.

"Lookin' forward to it, then, chere," he grinned back at her, and gave a wink. "Listen, since it's your first night here, and _since_ I have to make up that whole thing in Louisiana up to you, I thought I'd maybe take you to dinner. Nothin' fancy, maybe for pizza or...whatever you like, really..."

Rogue looked to the floor, "Well...Ah don't know. You see, the _last _time you took me to a restaurant, it all went wrong, remember?"

"Yeah, but that ain't gonna happen twice in the same year," he stated. "So how about it?"

"Ah..." she paused, "Ah don't think so," she scrunched her face at him.

"Oh come on, why not? You got better plans?"

"Right now, Ah don't really feel like goin' out into town and runnin' into anyone Ah know It's too soon, you know? Ah don't want to repeat myself over and over about why Ah've left, and they won't leave it alone. Everyone at the institute is always out on the town on a Saturday."

"I see. So how'd that whole visit with your friends go earlier, anyway?" he asked curiously.

"As Ah expected it. They asked me to come home, and Ah didn't..."

"They must be good friends to care enough to come here," Piotr spoke up; Rogue had almost forgotten he was sitting there painting his still-life.

"Yeah..." Rogue sighed, "anyway...Ah'm...you know...gonna go and...uhm..." she paused, trying to think of what she could find to do in this place. The television seemed to be _always _occupied by someone, and there was no recreation room here to find something to occupy her time.

"Yes?" Remy asked, "what plans do you have that are so much more interestin' than standin' here talkin' to me and Pete here?"

"Ah'm gonna go run a towel over the walls of my room and try to dry it out a bit," she lied after a moment, determining that she'd never even _find_ a towel that wasn't sitting on the floor in a damp state already.

"Okay, you go do that," Remy waved her off, smirking. "Have fun."

Rogue went down to the ground level of the warehouse just in time to see Magneto leaving his 'office' room. His eyes fell on her, a cool and calm stare as he spoke in a softer tone than she was used to.

"Rogue, may I have a word with you?"

"Uhm...sure," Rogue shrugged; she let him lead her to the room and stepped in first. He closed the door behind himself and then moved to sit behind his desk as Rogue drank in the sight of the room. It was part office, part bedroom, and nearly _all _metal. This didn't surprise her in the least.

She stood awkwardly, feeling uncomfortable there. Somehow, seeing where Magneto slept made him feel all the more _human _than she'd ever thought him to be. It seemed to her that it'd never really occurred to her that he ate, slept and judging by the conception of the Maximoff twins, most likely _had sex_ too.

It was odd...the thought of Magneto having _sex_ was the most unsettling thought of all.

"How are you settling in?" asked Magneto as he leaned forward at his desk, his hands clasped together.

"Fine," she said with a shrug as she looked down at him, she liked the way his hair almost looked like white silk in the cold overhead lights.

"And Gambit has done all he can to make you feel welcome?"

"Yes," she admitted, thinking back to his offer of dinner, and his tour. "He's been very...welcoming."

"Good. If you have any problems in the next few days, you should speak to him."

Rogue's eyes fell upon a suitcase that was against the wall behind his desk. "Are...you going somewhere?" she asked.

"Actually," Magneto said after a moment, "yes. I'll be gone for most of the week."

"Oh," she said, feeling quite deflated. Already, he was going off? Leaving her with the rest of his team and putting any plans to help her on hold? She'd expected to be fobbed off with a few excuses _at least_ before he decided to do so. "Ah...see."

"Do not think that I have forgotten why you are here," he said gently, "Actually, I must go for that reason."

"Really?" she asked, blinking.

"Yes. To build the machine I need to help with the _evolution _you yearn so much for, I need special parts that I can only find in Japan. I could send for them, of course, but I've experienced problems with this before and would much rather go and obtain them myself."

Rogue nodded, understanding, and afterwards, she said, "so...you're _really_ going to do this for me?"

"If you still want me to," Magneto admitted. "Should you change your mind...that is up to you, but if you really do want this then yes, I shall do this for you. It will take time though, you must be willing to wait, as it may take a few months to replicate my original designs. But it will all begin with this journey. While I am gone, Gambit will take care of you."

"Ah don't _need _taking care of," she shot quickly, wishing she hadn't spoken so quickly.

"Of course you don't. You're an independent girl, I admire that about you, Rogue."

Rogue thought it very unlikely he admired _anything_ about anyone, but she said nothing to suggest she felt this way.

"All I mean, is that should any issues arise, then Gambit would be the one to speak to regarding it."

"All right," she agreed.

"I've discussed the situation regarding your college courses at Bayville community college with Charles, and he has agreed to continue to pay your tuition until you graduate."

Rogue felt relieved about this, she'd thought she might perhaps have to take on a part time job or two to pay for her schooling, she hadn't _expected_ the Professor to want to continue paying for her education after she'd turned her back on the institute, and she hadn't thought to mention the situation when she'd told him of her plans to leave.

"I'm not sure if Gambit explained the situation about money, here, Rogue, but I pay my team, and I pay well," explained Magneto. "Gambit will be in charge of giving out allowances until I return."

Glad that there would be at least _some _form of income from this, she felt satisfied enough for the moment to not bother bringing up how much that sum exactly would be. She wondered if Remy LeBeau could be trusted enough to pay the _proper _amount or if he'd be dipping into the funds, being a thief at heart and all.

"In the meantime, while I'm away, try to work with the team, and with Gambit, even if you find reasons to disagree. Here, with the Acolytes, you'll find less compromise than you would have found with the X-Men. Understood?"

"Perfectly," Rogue nodded, she tried to keep her eyes on his, hoping that showing that she had the confidence to do so might earn her some kind of unspoken respect.

The door opened behind Rogue, and she turned to see Wanda stepping into the room, without even having knocked.

"I want to talk to you," Wanda stated to her father, breezing right by Rogue.

Rogue noted the girl had just taken a shower, clearly, judging by her damp hair, and face free of makeup.

"I'm in the middle of a meeting," Magneto pointed out.

"With her?" Wanda scoffed, "don't make me laugh."

"Enough," Magneto gave her that look he seemed to usually reserve for Pietro. Rogue stepped towards the door uneasily.

"Ah'll...Uh...leave you two alone," she offered.

"Wait," stated Magneto, "I'm not finished."

"Yes you are," Wanda spoke up. "Seriously, _Gambit_ as leader? He couldn't lead himself to water if he fell out of a _boat_ in the middle of the goddamn Atlantic ocean."

"Gambit will make a fine leader, and clearly is the one here most suited to the task."

"Why can't I lead? I'm smart enough."

"Your attitude right now is proving otherwise to me," Magneto responded calmly.

Rogue hovered awkwardly near the door, wondering why Magneto had made her stay to witness this argument. It was nothing to do with her, after all and she was very uncomfortable having to endure it.

"I'm sick of your acting like I'm not capable of doing anything..." Wanda smacked her hands against his desk frustratedly. In reaction to her powers, the lighting above flickered, one of the bulbs exploded and sparks fell from the ceiling.

"Wanda, go take your medication, and calm down. I don't have time for this right now. And also, I'd like to add, I'd like it if you would dress more appropriately."

"What's wrong with how I dress?" demanded Wanda, gesturing to the clothes she'd changed into following her shower, which were now a very short black leather skirt and a red fishnet top over a leather bra. Rogue blinked at Wanda's question. She'd have thought it was more than obvious in this case.

"You dress like..." Magneto trailed off, seeming reluctant to say it.

"Like?"

"Like a prostitute," Magneto finished.

Rogue gaped at this comment, she looked between them both. _Did he just accuse his daughter of looking like a whore?_ Rogue thought in disbelief.

"I won't have _my daughter_ dressing this way. I don't like the way the young men here look at you."

"Well I _do,_" said Wanda, quite matter-of-fact about it. "And I'll dress however I want. I'm eighteen, you can't make me do shit."

"Wanda..." he warned.

Wanda's eyes fell on the suitcases behind him, Rogue saw her posture change.

"You're _leaving_?"

"For four days," was his calm response.

Rogue wondered if perhaps he may stay away longer just to avoid more of Wanda's behaviour. She certainly wouldn't have blamed him.

"I hate you," Wanda remarked icily to him before spinning on her heel and leaving the room; she slammed the door behind herself. Another of the overhead lightbulbs blew, plunging the room into a dingy dimness now.

Magneto gave a sigh, "I'm sick of having to replace those bulbs," he admitted, looking up at the ceiling woefully.

"Is...is there something else you wanted to talk to me about?" Rogue asked.

He paused, he seemed to have lost his train of thought. "I forget...no, wait, now I remember," he sighed, "Gambit told me that there's an issue with your new room that you were concerned about?"

"It's fine," she lied.

"Are you sure?"

"It's not important. I'll figure something out. It's just a little damp is all...it'll probably dry up."

"When I return, we will find a way to rectify the problem," Magneto assured. "You may go now."

Rogue had almost been glad to leave the room...that was until she came face to face with Wanda right outside of it. The young dark-haired girl's eyes were squinting at her.

"Uhm...problem?" Rogue asked, trying to sound just as icy as Wanda did.

"I know what you're doing."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't act like you don't know what this is about," said Wanda, before she took off walking and disappearing around the corner. Rogue didn't care where the girl went...as long as it was _far _from her.

* * *

**End of Part Four**


	5. MagneticAttractionPart5

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part 5**

* * *

Sunday morning came with a _very_ rude awakening for everyone in the warehouse. Rogue had set her cell phone alarm and had already been up at 4.45am when Remy LeBeau and Piotr Rasputin started banging loudly on doors ordering everyone to be up and dressed and on the main floor within fifteen minutes.

She had not taken her X-Men uniform with her when she'd left the institute...she'd felt it wouldn't be right to do so and had left it in a box under her bed. For now, a plain pair of black leggings, a tank top, and a black mesh blouse would have to suffice. It seemed like no one else had really bothered showing up in uniform either.

Tabitha had come in jeans and an insanely pink t-shirt, her black platform boots seemed quite impractical for any kind of field or training situation, but Rogue couldn't help wanting a pair of her own all the same.

"Didn't have a uniform either, huh?" Tabitha asked with amusement as she came to stand at Rogue's side.

"Ah left it under my bed. It's X-Men property really, so...it didn't feel right bringing it with me."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Tabitha admitted, she was chewing gum idly, which seemed absurd for this time of the morning.

Wanda arrived in another one of her ridiculously skimpy red and black outfits, hair slightly flattened at one side, her make up obviously slept in. Pietro simply turned up in jogging pants and a tank top which he seemed to have slept in judging by his bare feet and messed up hair. Lance Alvers was no better, coming to the line up in a wrinkled shirt he'd worn to yet another date with Kitty Pryde the night before, and jeans that were slightly stained with purple soda.

Remy LeBeau stood watching each one of them arrive, his face getting darker and darker as he saw them arrive looking a mess, unwashed, hair mussed and that could care less. When finally all were there, he looked between them all. "I said _dressed_," he said, he stood in front of Pietro in particular, looking him up and down.

"You aren't the boss of me."

"Then there's the door," Remy gestured to the large metal doors behind him, "go ahead."

"You can't throw me out of my father's building," Pietro scoffed tiredly.

Remy grabbed a handful of Pietro's t-shirt and leaned in to push his nose to Pietro's, looking him right in the eyes, "want to bet?"

"Get your greasy hands off of me, red neck," Pietro smacked Remy's hands away, and then disappeared out of the room altogether, faster than the blink of an eye.

Remy rolled his eyes at this and looked at them all one by one, choosing for the moment not to address the issue of Pietro's bad behaviour any further, "when I said _dressed,_ I meant _uniforms_," he stated to the rest of them.

"Uhm..." Tabitha put her hand up, her cheeks pink, her smile slightly flirtatious, "Rogue and I don't actually _have_ uniforms."

Remy looked between them both, "Sure we can figure out something for you girls," he stated, "some leather cat suits or...somethin'..." he looked them both up and down, and Rogue had that uncomfortable impression that could see beneath her tanktop and right through her skin almost.

"So it's leather you're into, huh?" Tabitha flirted.

"Jesus christ," groaned Wanda, "can we just get this _over with_ already? I didn't get out of bed at five am to listen to you make plans to fuck with a fifteen year old," she hissed at Remy.

Remy's face soured, Tabitha quickly re-iterated. "Actually, I'm almost seventeen, so shut the hell up, Elvira."

"Shut up, both of you," Remy stated. He moved to a table which had an old paint splattered sheet over it, and he yanked the sheet from the table to reveal large cans of paint sitting there, and an impressive array of decorating brushes. Beneath the table was a pile of cleaning products, rolls of garbage bags and against the wall were a few sweeping brushes.

"What is this?" Lance demanded.

"What's it look like? It's paint."

"You want us to...paint?" asked Rogue, blinking.

"I want you all to work as a team to clean this place top to bottom, paint every single wall, remove the boards from the windows and clean the windows thoroughly. Me and Colossus are gonna get some glass to replace the windows that are broke, and tiles to fix the broken walls in the bathrooms. You all think this place is a shithole, so you're all gonna clean it up together and turn it into somethin' remotely liveable."

Rogue wondered how this was going to work, and exactly what the point to cleaning and decorating the place was if all these guys would do is just wreck it again anyway.

From above, they heard Pietro's voice yell, "And my father _actually _approved this crap?"

"Oh, it was his idea," said Remy with a smirk. "And he'll be calling later to make sure you did your part, by the way. I've to take pictures with this cell phone here," he took his phone from his pocket and held it up, "and to send them to him. So you better pick up a brush and get started."

They all stood, looking between each other, Piotr stood behind Remy, arms folded, as if he were a bodyguard waiting for further trouble to brew.

"Are you all waiting for something?" Remy asked of them.

"Yeah...the fuckin' punchline," Lance complained.

Rogue volunteered herself up to be the first to move to pick up a sweeping brush, which seemed to surprise Remy quite a bit. "Where do you want me to start?" she asked.

"How about stickin' that brush up _his_ ass," Remy pointed his eyes up towards Pietro who was leaning over the rail from the upstairs living area.

"I heard that," Pietro muttered.

"That queer would probably like it too much," commented Wanda under her breath.

"Excuse me?" called Pietro from above, having somehow still heard.

"Well, _since_ you're acting like such a punk ass bitch, I can only assume you must _want_ to have a brush pole driven up your ass," Wanda folded her arms.

"Seriously," Rogue put one hand on her hip. "Are we just going to fight for the rest of the day?"

"Start with the kitchen and the mess hall," Remy instructed gently. Rogue wondered if he was doing her a favour, as both were the _least_ messy and _least _of in need of cleaning and decorating than the rest of the place. Still, she wasn't about to complain, and so she went to do the task at hand.

As it turned out, the idea of having everyone pitch in to fix the place up hadn't been as absurd as it had first sounded. By the afternoon, although everyone was tired and still slightly grumpy, already things were shaping up. Old leftover boxes from when the place was a working warehouse long ago were destroyed and disposed of in a pile outside. Remy and Piotr worked hard at trying to fix windows while Lance and Pietro worked at painting the walls, Pietro's powers had come in handy and managed to get the entire large main hall of the warehouse mostly painted by two pm. The plain red grotty brickwork was now painted a warmer beige colour that made the place seem cleaner, almost liveable.

Rogue took frequent breaks just to be able to come to the main area and see what everyone else was doing, and was impressed by how much progress was being made, and how, somehow, everyone seemed to be working together despite being unhappy with Remy's commands.

It was funny, Rogue thought, how just having the task of cleaning and of fixing up the place had been able to take her mind off of everything that was wrong with her life. It'd seemed that for the entire day, her mind had gone blank of thoughts and feelings, and she'd been in a strange state of bliss as she worked at doing her part, humming along to the music from her MP3 player and forgetting every problem she had for the time being.

The day flew by quickly, and Rogue failed to notice how much time had passed until Tabitha came into the mess hall, covered in various paint splatters and smears, her hair held back in a bandana, her expression revealing how exhausted she was. "It's time to finish up for the night," Tabitha said, looking around to admire Rogue's handiwork.

Rogue had only managed to finish painting three of the four walls in the mess hall (although she had finished painting the kitchen). The pillars were still to paint of course, but Rogue had left them for the moment, thinking that perhaps it would look better if they weren't the same cream colour that she'd painted the rest of the walls in.

"What time is it?" Rogue asked, she stifled a yawn on the back of her wrist, holding onto the back of the chair she was standing upon with one hand and her paint brush with the other.

"It's nearly eight thirty," Tabitha admitted.

"Wow...already? I thought it was maybe four or five," Rogue hopped down from the chair and put her paintbrush down, "I need to clean the brushes."

"Gambit said just leave the brushes, that he'd do it. He wants everyone to just down tools and go upstairs to the living area. He wants to 'debrief' everyone or something," Tabitha explained.

"Debrief," Rogue repeated, raising an eyebrow as she put her brush down on the upturned lid of her paint can.

"He can debrief me _any time,_" Tabitha giggled with a glint in her eye.

Rogue wiped her hands off on an old rag she'd found in one of the kitchen cabinets as she walked beside Tabitha. Upstairs, everyone was gathered looking exhausted, some more paint smeared than others (by the looks of it, Pietro and Lance had been fighting with the paint, and ultimately Pietro had won). Remy was standing, arms folded, he too was paint splattered and dirty just like everyone else.

_At least he got involved,_ Rogue thought as she sat on the arm of the couch making sure there was a dust sheet before doing so.

"Is everyone here?" Remy asked glancing at everyone and silently counting heads.

"Colossus isn't," Lance uttered.

"Yeah, I know where he is," Remy said, "I guess we can start without him," he said. He gestured to the place, "place looks...well...different, doesn't it. Look at the place. Already looks cleaner, brighter."

"Yeah, it should. We just about killed ourselves trying to get it _looking_ like this," Pietro muttered unhappily.

"And now that it took _so _much work to make it look like this, do you _really_ wanna go ruinin' it like it was?" Remy pointed out.

Rogue laughed inwardly. So that was the tactic. Make the place look like this so that they could take _pride_ in the place? So that it would give incentive to not destroy it? That was clever. Definitely sounded like something Magneto would come up with.

"I didn't think you'd all pull it off..." Remy admitted, "You got most of it done. Not all of it, but hell, it's a big place. We still have tomorrow to finish up, so rest up tonight. There's still a lot to do."

"What's still to do?" demanded Pietro. "All the walls are done, the place is _spotlessly clean_..."

_"_Mess hall is still unfinished, Ah did my best but there's a lot of wall in there..." Rogue spoke up.

"That's fine. Didn't expect you to finish it all alone," Remy assured. "I know you have college tomorrow, and Tabitha has school, so either me or Piotr will finish it off."

Rogue nodded.

Remy moved over to the rail and glanced over, a slight smirk playing across his face. "And to answer the question of what else is still to do around here, that big area down there that we cleared all the boxes out of is going to be turned into a training area. The big area at the back that we moved all mess of steel cable and tubing from is going to be made into a compact gym."

"Seriously?" blinked Lance, "for real?"

"Yeah. On Magneto's instructions. He wants you all to have access to everything you need to train and better yourselves, but he's not just going to _hand_ it to you. He wants it all worked for. We have to build those walls ourselves, we have to put together all that equipment ourselves."

Rogue's eyes caught a dark shadow coming up the stairs; Piotr had arrived. In his metal form, he was carrying a ridiculously large flat box beneath one arm, and a stack of smaller boxes in the other.

"I believe dinner has arrived," Remy stated as he went to take the Pizza Hut boxes from the larger boy. "And the surprise," he added.

"The surprise?" asked Wanda, looking already bored.

Piotr put the large box down on the floor, turning it to face them so that they could see it was a 56 inch flat screen 3D television. There were cheers, and Piotr and Lance had rushed up to already tear into the box, much to Rogue's amusement.

Remy picked up one of the pizza boxes and opened it, and moved straight to Rogue, offering her the first slice of pepperoni.

"You've made them happy," Rogue admitted as she accepted a slice. "No small accomplishment."

"It's a tactic," he said in a low voice, glancing over his shoulder as the others were trying to get the flat screen, "it won't make them like me, or even want to listen to me, but at least maybe they'll associate the feeling of hard work actually amounting to something in the end. At least, that was what Magneto said. I just follow his orders is all."

Rogue yawned, "Ah think it's time for me to hit the hay, actually," she admitted. She bit into her pizza.

"Take a couple of slices with you before you go. You must be starving, I don't think you've eaten anything since you came here last night."

"Thanks," Rogue grabbed two more slices and headed off in the direction of the basement.

Chewing as she walked, she felt the aches and pains of having been on her feet all day, the strain in her right shoulder from having been moving her arm up and down to paint. She knew in the morning, she would really be feeling it. It had been a surprising day that, despite the excessive hard work, had left her feeling satisfied and calm, and almost happy. Something she hadn't expected.

When she reached the door to her room, she found a large padlock on the outside. "What the hell?" she demanded loudly to no one in particular as she pushed the handle repeatedly and found that it wouldn't budge. Some one was trying to be a jerk, it seemed. Probably Wanda...that girl seemed to have some kind of issue, although Rogue wasn't sure exactly what it was.

Annoyed, Rogue stomped her way up stairs, still holding on to her two extra slices of pizza. Just as she got to the main floor, she found Remy there talking to Piotr, gesturing to where the gymnasium was planned to be placed.

"So the walls are gonna be starting from here..." Remy gestured, he'd used chalk to make an outline.

"What about this pipe?" asked Piotr, gesturing to what seemed to be some kind of old rusting pipe that was in the way of where the walls would begin.

"That's a heating pipe...it's going to be replaced and moved much further away. The heating system in the basement needs to be replaced before we can even do that. But we can start on the other wall, and leave the second wall until then. We have to wait until the boss comes back to start on that..." Remy was explaining; he too, was chewing on a slice of pizza.

Rogue moved up behind them both, "my room is locked..."

"It is?" asked Remy, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah. There's a big ass padlock on it," she sighed.

"Who would do that?" asked Piotr, a slight smirk on his face. Was this perhaps a joke of his? He didn't quite seem the type to play a practical joke like that.

"Is this some kind of joke?" she asked, "because...it's not funny. Ah'm really not in the mood for this right now," she admitted. The good feeling she'd had for the last few hours was starting to already melt away with the strain of thinking of who was trying to get on her nerves.

"Look, it's a little late to start chasing up people to see who did it tonight, and everything is settled down up there, I'm not gonna start any drama with them tonight," rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, "I'll figure out who did it tomorrow, okay?"

"What am Ah meant to do in the mean time?" she demanded, "Ah don't have anywhere to sleep!"

Remy paused, "use my room. I'll just crash on the couch for tonight."

"Ah still need my stuff..."

"I'll pick the lock in the morning and get your stuff. Just go to my room. You know where it is, right?"

"Top of the stairs on the third floor," she responded.

"Yeah. Oh, and my sheets are clean, I swear."

Rogue highly doubted it, but she supposed she could always just sleep on the top of them. "Okay," she sighed, too tired to argue about this right now. All she wanted to do was lay down and rest her weary bones.

It was strange, she thought, how different the place looked now that all the brickwork had been painted. Although the beige colour wasn't too many shades brighter than the old brickwork, it looked so much brighter and cleaner than it had before. Rogue realised at once as she reached the top of the stairs and could see the door to Remy's room that the padlock to his room was missing. Whomever had pulled this prank on her had stolen the lock from his door. She thought about going back downstairs to tell him, but she was too tired now to even bother.

With a sigh, she walked along the small catwalk, and pushed the door open, unsure about what she would find in there.

The smell of paint was the first thing that hit her, and then it was the deep purple walls, the black satin throw with the tiny silver sequins, and the fact that her tote bag was laying upon what looked to be a very brand new double bed with a black leather frame. A small modern lamp was sitting on a brand new glossy dresser, and her phone was sitting next to it, along with the jewellery that she'd unpacked only yesterday. There was even a small flat screen television, with a built in DVD player already in it.

Confused, she quickly turned intent to go downstairs and demand what was going on, and found herself face to face with Remy LeBeau. She nearly bumped into him, and had to leap back a little in reflex.

"Jesus, are you tryin' to get yourself killed?" she demanded, putting a hand to her chest, "I could have..."

"Sorry," he laughed. "You like it?"

"You switched rooms with me?" she asked, glancing in again, hardly able to believe he would actually do this for her.

"I told you I'd make it up to you," he said, he put his hands on her shoulders and guided her in. "I had Pete help me do all this while you were in the mess hall painting. It's the reason I had you closed off on your own...I wanted it to be a surprise," he explained. "Judgin' by the look on your face...it is," he said smugly.

"You did all this...for me..." she said in complete awe, she opened the dresser, finding the few clothes she had already in there. It alarmed her slightly that he _must_ have rifled through her underwear to do this. "You weren't...sniffing my panties or anything gross, were you?"

"'Course not," he replied. "Anyway, it was _Pete_ who put all that stuff away. Any thing that happened to them is all him...but trust me, that guy ain't a panty sniffer."

Rogue's face went red as she thought of the large Russian putting her delicates away in the drawer. Somehow, she felt he was the type to probably close his eyes while doing so. She moved to the wall next to the door, noticing for the first time there was a matching bookcase to the dresser, and the few books she owned were already sitting upon it, making it look ever so slightly bare. "This stuff is real nice..." she admitted.

"Yeah...had to build it all up, took longer to build that dresser than it did to paint the room."

Rogue examined the plain black rug beneath her feet. A nice little detail that made the plain cement floor look slightly warmer and more homely. She dug her toe into the thick pile with a slight smile playing about her lips.

"So..." Remy said after a moment.

"So?"

"So...do you accept my apology now?" he asked, he sat upon her new bed and looked up at her hopefully.

She moved to the window – there was an actual _window_ here. It was tall, and frosted, but it was able to open and close. She could get actual fresh air, unlike her room in the basement.

"Well?" he asked.

Rogue looked over her shoulder at him, "maybe," she teased.

"Hey, I deserve more than a maybe," he replied, "you know how much I spent getting this stuff? I didn't steal it, you know...and Magneto didn't pay for it. That Ikea place ain't as cheap as they like to make out, you know."

"Okay," she agreed, "you're off the hook," she bit into one of the slices of pizza she had almost forgotten she was still carrying.

"Great," he stood up, "listen, I have some stuff to finish up but..." he gestured around the room, "have fun settling in. I probably don't need to tell you that the walls are still wet, but then, coming from that room in the basement, you're probably already used to that."

"Yeah," she walked him to the door, still glancing around her in complete shock. Not _much_ work had gone into making the room nice, but the thought that _had_ gone into it was still much more important than she'd have expected. The bed looked so much more inviting than the cot she'd slept in the last two nights, and the newly painted purple walls were so much nicer than the dirty damp bricks of the basement.

Remy hovered at the door for a moment, he seemed to be almost on the verge of saying something, but withheld whatever it was.

Rogue watched him momentarily, wondering what it was that was going on through his head. Wondering how it could be that someone who'd proven himself to be an underhanded user before could suddenly somehow turn out to be almost _genuine_ and _kind._ It didn't seem to fit. She wasn't sure she completely trusted it.

"Good night, Rogue," he said to her after seeming to contemplate how he would leave her for the night.

"Night," she said, and reached to close the door behind him. She stopped, as he was just about to descend down the winding stairwell, she called him out. "Remy...?"

He stopped and turned to look at her, his hand loosely gripping onto the metal rail.

"Thanks...for this..." she chewed the inside of her cheek. "It...it was hard leaving home and all...leaving the comfort...and the friends, the people I cared about..." she sighed.

"I know," he nodded.

"You've made it a lot easier for me. And I know you didn't have to...I'm sure Magneto didn't ask you to go to these kind of lengths...so...thank you."

He smiled, it was an almost warm smile, and not his usual smug knowing grins. "You're welcome."

* * *

**End of Part Five**


	6. MagneticAttractionPart6

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Six**

* * *

Rogue awoke in a daze the next morning, confused about where she was or whose room she was exactly in. As her eyes fluttered open, and she saw extreme sunlight cutting through the small bedroom and lighting up the purple walls, she was somewhat baffled. This definitely wasn't her room at the mansion.

She had almost forgotten everything about the past few days as her dreams had taken her back home to the Institute, to a time when she'd never left there, never come to live in this place with the Acolytes. As she sat up, rubbing the sleep crust out of her eyes, she sighed at the aches in pains of protest from spending too much time stretched painting walls and excessively sweeping floors and scrubbing counter tops and tables.

_At least it's much nicer waking up in this room than the one in the basement,_ she thought as she forced herself to get out of bed.

None of the others in the warehouse were out of bed it seemed, the place was eerily silent, so much that the shuffling of her slippers on the cold cement floor seemed painfully loud and more obvious than it ever should have been. There had been no line to wait in just to use the shower, nor did she have to fight over food in the kitchen unlike her experiences back home at the Xavier mansion. The only food left in the kitchen today was a slice of leftover mushroom and onion Pizza from the night before and since her stomach was growling with hunger, she grabbed it, regardless that pizza was not a breakfast food. She opened one of the large metal doors leading outside and glanced around the loading dock. Remy LeBeau's motorcycle was parked off to the side next to Piotr Rasputin's questionable looking white ford transit (which seemed to have been painted white with what looked to be emulsion). A jeep was parked off to the side, she could only assume it belonged to Lance Alvers. It was a slightly different one than the one she remembered him owning, but judging by large and obvious steering wheel lock, he didn't want anyone else driving it. Rogue wondered if he'd put that on just because of Tabitha's habit of taking things without asking.

_Crap, I forgot. I'm gonna need a ride to school,_ she thought unhappily. She considered briefly taking the keys to Piotr's van which she was sure she'd seen in the kitchen. She thought the better of it. He'd need that van today if he and the others were going to continue with fixing the place up, there would probably be many more trips to the home depot. Sighing, she stepped back inside, glancing around as she began the walk to the door leading to the basement.

The warehouse looked barely like itself any more from the inside. Some of the windows had been mended, and sunlight poured through, cutting through the usually large patches of dingy darkness. Rogue chewed her pizza as she opened the basement door and began the descent down the winding stairs and into the near total blackness that was only vaguely lit by the open door above her.

She did knock on her former bedroom door, but he seemed to have not heard her. She knocked louder this time, and when he did not respond, she simply barged in, hoping that he had the decency to at least sleep under the covers. Luckily for her, it was the case.

The room was pitch black, having no natural light, so she reached for the switch and flicked it. Remy, who had been stretched across her former bed, gave a yell of protest.

"What the fuck-?!" Remy demanded in protest.

"Remy, I need a ride to school. I don't have a car."

"Christ, what time is it?" he demanded, rolling over onto his stomach and pulling the pillow over his head to block the light out.

"Seven. It takes nearly thirty minutes to get there, and my class starts at eight."

"Ugh," Remy groaned.

"Ah'm sorry," Rogue sighed, she leaned against the door casually, picking at a loose thread on her left glove while examining his bare back and exceptional tan. "It wasn't something Ah thought through clearly when Ah decided to come here. Ah didn't think Ah'd be able to keep goin' to college...so it never occurred to me Ah'd need some form of transport to get there."

"You know how to ride a motorbike?" Remy asked hopefully with a yawn.

"No...and even if Ah did...Ah don't have a license," Rogue replied.

"Okay, fine," Remy sighed, he moved from beneath the pillow and sat up, sweeping his mussed hair from his face, his eyes puffy, and his face slightly pink on one side where his cheek had been against the pillow. "I'll take you."

Rogue looked him up and down; he was more muscular than she'd originally thought, and even at the odd position he was hunched over as he tried to wake himself up, she could see the ripples of his washboard abs, and the bulge of his pecs. He seemed quite aware she was looking, because he slowly raised his head to look at her.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, he raised an eyebrow and smirked in an almost drunken sort of way way, "or...is it that you just like what you see?"

"Huh?" she suddenly asked, blinking, "Oh...Ah...Ah'm sorry," she shook herself out of her daze, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"Oh, it's fine, don't be," he stretched a little, just for her benefit it seemed, "you can look all you like if you want, Gambit don't mind."

"Ah think Ah just spaced out," she tried to excuse her actions, "Ah'm still half asleep."

"Join the club," he responded, he rolled his head and massaged the back of his neck, "okay, so...I'll meet you upstairs in like, five minutes."

Rogue waited outside in the loading dock, where Remy's motorcycle was parked. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was bright but the air was cool and crisp. She sat upon the seat, arms folded as she waited for him. It took him much longer than five minutes to arrive, but he eventually did, looking tired and slightly put out. He'd apparently had a _much_ later night than she had.

There was only one helmet, and so he opted to go without so that she could have the benefit of safety. He climbed on the bike and she climbed on behind him, grabbing onto his shoulders after pulling the helmet on.

"Not my shoulders," he said after putting on a pair of sunglasses. He reached behind him and took her arms to guide them around his waist tightly, "If we hit a sharp corner, you'd go flying off like a rag doll holdin' onto me all lightly like that. Don't be afraid to hold on tight, now,"

She laughed at the thought, but she was sure that it wouldn't be funny if it ended up actually happening that she end up being thrown right off the bike.

"By the way," he said after he pulled on his leather gloves, and kicked up the stand, he started the ignition, the bike roared to life and he had to yell to be heard over it, "I don't have a license, either."

The ride to the community college was pleasant despite the excessive noise and the slight awkwardness of having to hold onto Remy's torso. He felt strange to be so close to him like this, her chest pressed against his back as the bike sped through Bayville, the noise probably waking several people up and disturbing several other residents otherwise normally peaceful morning.

As he pulled up to the front of the college on the bike, she felt a sort of smugness when her classmates saw her climbing off of his bike. She expected at least some tongues to be wagging about how she, the lonely goth girl, got off the back of a bike that belonged to a reasonably good looking young man.

Removing the helmet to give it back to him, her eyes fell on Jean Grey getting out of Scott Summers car in the parking lot nearby. Jean and Scott were both looking right at her, expressions somewhat concerned.

"Thanks for the ride," Rogue said as she loosened her backpack to just one shoulder. "Ah'll see later."

"Absolutely," Remy said, "what time you finish, I'll come get you," he gave a yawn before pulling off his sunglasses just long enough to put the helmet on and flick the visor down.

"I should be done around two today," she replied.

"I'll be here," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the helmet. With this, he sped off, the noise of the bike growing quieter and quieter as he left the campus. Rogue spotted Jean and Scott heading for the doors just as she was. They were holding hands, just as they always did in the morning as they walked towards the front doors. Today was just another day that Rogue wished she didn't have to witness this.

"Was that _Gambit_?" Jean asked as they met her at the doors.

"Ah needed a ride. Ah don't have a car, remember?" Rogue pointed out, "Ah needed to get here somehow."

"I didn't even think you were coming back here," said Scott after a moment, his face grim.

"The Professor agreed to pay for the rest of my tuition until I graduate," Rogue explained.

"That's big of him," said Scott, sounding slightly upset.

"Scott," warned Jean, her green eyes squinting at him.

"So you're still going to go ahead and stay with those misfits?" Scott asked, he held the doors open for Rogue and Jean to step through first.

"Ah already made it clear to you that Ah was," Rogue responded irritably as she stepped through, "Can we just drop it, please?"

"Fine," Scott muttered, following Jean through, still holding onto her hand all the while, "I'll see you when you decide to come to your senses," he replied, and without saying another word, he pecked Jean's cheek, then took off in the direction of his class.

Jean and Rogue stood there in the busy hallway, both awkwardly looking at each other. Jean was clutching a stack of biology books to her chest. "He'll get over it, eventually," she assured.

"Doesn't seem like it," Rogue replied, feeling very out of place in Jean's company. She'd never really been able to see eye to eye with the redhead, and it seemed to have only gotten harder since Scott had begun dating her.

"You can't really blame him," Jean admitted, "He took it very personally, Rogue."

"Ah don't want to argue about this, Jean," Rogue admitted, "Ah left, Ah'm with another team..." she explained, "that's all there is to it. Ah didn't expect him to be cool about it, but Ah didn't think he'd be this _uncool_ about it."

"It's not that you left, Rogue, it's that you didn't even give a real reason why, and you didn't even tell us you were leaving. You left everyone feeling like they'd done something wrong. Like they didn't try hard enough, like they weren't good enough."

Rogue shook her head in dismay, "why is everyone trying to make me feel _guilty_ for leaving?" she demanded.

"We're not _trying to make you feel _guilty," Jean explained, "don't you get it. _We're _the ones who feel bad...we don't know what went wrong."

"Nothing went wrong, nothing just _happened_ and changed the way Ah feel. Ah just had to move on. Why can't everyone just accept this it the way it has to be and just _deal_ already."

"Because it's hard to deal with something we don't understand..." Jean offered, her voice soft. Rogue could tell she was _trying_ to be nice, but she didn't really feel complete sincerity behind it. Perhaps there was real sincerity, but her dislike for the girl refused to let her really accept any of it.

"Yeah, well, Ah wouldn't expect the rest of you to really understand," Rogue rolled her eyes slightly, looking away from the girl, "especially not you."

"What's that meant to mean?" Jean raised an eyebrow at her.

"It doesn't matter," Rogue responded, she was too tired to go through it with anyone, especially not with Jean. She wasn't about to let Jean in on the secret of what Magneto intended to do for her either, and she _hoped_ Jean wasn't about to attempt to read her mind to glean the information for herself. "I have to get to class."

"I'll see you around, Rogue," Jean waved lightly.

Rogue wondered if there was any way in future she could avoid that ever happening whatsoever. Somehow...she doubted it.

* * *

Remy LeBeau stepped into the Bayville Bean Box coffee shop at quarter past ten in the morning. Pulling off the leather gloves he wore when riding his motorcycle, he made his way to the table in the back where the man known as Wolverine was sitting. The man looked unshaven, and tired, his hair slightly bushy and outgrown, his hairy fists clenched as they locked eyes.

Despite the antagonistic expression the older man gave him, Remy held onto his confidence and sauntered to the table casually, and dropped into the seat opposite, dropping his gloves on the table.

"You're late," said Wolverine, his left hand unclenched, his fingers drummed on the table.

"I've had other shit to do, today, I got here soon as I could," Remy responded, he yelled over to the passing waitress, "can I get a mocha with extra cream?"

"A mocha," repeated Wolverine, his steely eyes squinting in disapproval, "that's...a really girly drink for a guy who drove up here on a 1979 Harley Davidson Shovelhead," he remarked. "You drive a crotch-rocket like that to this place, then order the gayest drink on the menu? Doesn't really do much for your image, gumbo."

"You know your bikes," Remy glanced over his shoulder through the large glass window at his motorcycle parked on the street outside.

"I have a '65 panhead at home. Customized. Thing can go from zero to one-twenty in fifteen seconds. One of a kind."

"I wouldn't mind gettin' my hands on somethin' like that," Remy admitted.

"Yeah, well, keep your greasy mitts off of mine," Wolverine warned, "I know all about you and your sticky fingers and five finger discounts. If that bike goes missin', I'll _know_ if it was you."

"Fair enough," Remy leaned back casually in his seat, one arm propped up on the back, "So...I'm guessin' you didn't call me up just to ask me here so we could talk about bikes."

Wolverine frowned just slightly, he was silent, and Remy felt himself being weighed up visually. He was sure that if looks were able to see right through people then Wolverine would have managed to bore two large holes into his skull with such a stare.

"How you even get my number, anyway?" Remy asked curiously, "the line on my cell phone is _secure and unlisted_."

"We have our ways," was all Wolverine would divulge.

_In other words, Professor X got it from Magneto,_ Remy thought.

"This is about Rogue, right?" asked Remy, getting tired of the conversation already. He had too much to to do today, and didn't want to be away from the warehouse too long, it'd give the team far too much opportunity to slack off when they should have been working on the tasks he'd assigned.

"And here I was thinking you would play stupid," Wolverine folded his thick arms.

"You didn't call me here just to ask me to talk her out of leavin' us, did you? 'Cause I ain't gonna do that, you know. She's too much of an asset to my team," Remy admitted truthfully.

Wolverine snorted, "your team," he repeated. "Yeah, I heard about Magneto's decision to make you leader of the _Acolytes,_" he stated.

_Does Magneto _really _tell Xavier everythin' goin' on in our Team,_ wondered Remy.

"Good luck with playin' leader," Wolverine said sarcastically.

"So if you're not here to ask me to talk her out of coming back to you, why _did you ask me here?_" Remy asked. His mocha arrived promptly, and he picked up the provided spoon and ran it through the drink once before lifting it to his lips to lick the cream from the spoon.

"It's not about talking her out of coming back to the X-Men."

"But it _is_ about talkin' her out of something," realised Remy, he looked at Wolverine over the top of his long cup as he took the first sip. He brushed the cream from his mouth quickly with a napkin, "now _what_ could that be?"

"You know fine well what it is, LeBeau," Wolverine frowned.

"Actually, I don't," said Remy, he gave a slight shrug, "you see...Rogue didn't actually tell me _why_ she came to us, only that she needed a change. I only have the _vaguest_ notion of what reasons she could have for wanting to be with us...whether that notion is right or not, I couldn't say until she tells me herself. She plays her hand close to the chest, you see, no one will see her cards until the chips are down."

"You need me to spell it out for you, is what you're saying," Wolverine uttered.

"If you'd be so kind," Remy replied smugly.

"Fine," Wolverine agreed. "But first, tell me, Gambit; what reasons do you _think _a girl like Rogue has for wanting to join Magneto?"

"Honestly..." Remy said after a moment, he noticed the waitress, who was standing behind the bar and well out of earshot, was watching him with that interested look in her eyes. He skimmed his finger very lightly and almost suggestively across the cream on his mocha, and licked it from his finger. "I think she's come to have her powers maybe deactivated or taken away somehow."

"Actually, it's the opposite," Wolverine stated, "it's far worse."

Now very interested, Remy leaned forward, squinting a little at the well-built smaller man, "How so?"

"What she wants is for him to accelerate her mutation. You know what that means, right?"

"I've heard stories about how he accelerated the mutation of Sabretooth...and even Cyclops and his brother once. It all went wrong though...the changes weren't altogether that stable from what I gather..."

"Exactly," said Wolverine. "The effects were reversible in that one case, but you and I both know that Magneto doesn't make those sorts of mistakes over and over again. If he accelerates Rogue's powers, and changes her, it's going to be permanent, and we can't let that happen."

"I see," said Remy, feeling slightly alarmed at the thought of an unnatural acceleration of Rogue's – or anyone's for that matter – powers.

"Now..." Wolverine reached into the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out a thick envelope, he placed it on the table, "I know you're an underhanded son of a bitch, but...I know you're also something of a _friend _to her...if you could call it that."

"Maybe," Remy admitted.

"She trusted you enough to follow you to Louisiana once. I figure...if she'd do that, maybe she'd trust you enough to listen to you. If you can _prevent_ her from going through with her plans to accelerate her powers..." Wolverine pushed the envelope towards him, "then this is yours."

Remy picked up the envelope and lifted the flap, he glanced into see a stack of very tightly packed fifty-dollar bills. He flicked through them, counting quickly as accurately as he could. "How much is this? Ten grand?" he asked casually.

"Yes," Wolverine stated, "it's a good wad of _compensation_ if you can stop her from going through with this nonsense."

"This is Xavier's money?"

"Does it matter where it came from?" Wolverine demanded, "all you need to know is that it's sitting here," he reached over and plucked the envelope from Remy's hand, then placed it back in his inside pocket, "and that it's yours if you do what I ask."

"I don't know if I can stop her," Remy sipped his drink again, "she's very strong willed, and she's an adult. I can't _make_ her change her mind about somethin' like this. Especially not somethin' that could make her life better."

"Potentially. Or potentially accelerating her powers could make them more powerful and harder to control."

"Why don't you try to be the one to talk her out of this mess? You're her friend. Surely she'd listen to you," Remy reasoned.

"You don't think I tried? Or that the Professor did?"

"Maybe didn't try hard enough."

"Look are you in on this or not?" Wolverine asked, he slammed his open hand against the table, his own coffee cup rattled against the saucer.

"I'll think 'bout it," Remy responded coolly, "ain't gonna be easy though. The sum might need to go up."

"Ten grand, take it or leave it."

"Make it fifteen and I'll move heaven and hell to get her to give up the notion of accelerating her powers," Remy took another sip from his mocha.

"Eleven."

"Balance is goin' up to sixteen," Remy sing-songed.

"Balance is going to go down to _five_ if you don't cut the bullshit," Wolverine said, about to stand up.

"Okay, okay," Remy leaned forward a little to stop him, "make it _twelve_ and we got a deal."

"Fine," Wolverine stated.

"I want a down payment _now_," Remy gestured.

"No. You get payment when she gives up chasin' this stupid idea."

"Look, if you want me to gain her trust enough that she'll _listen_ to me, I need a little seed money."

"For?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes," Wolverine asked, "and how much is _a down payment to you?"_

Remy thought about this, he chewed the inside of his cheek, calculating, "at least a grand."

"No dice."

"You want this to work or don't you?"

"I'll give you six hundred."

"Eight hundred up front for the work I'll put into try and stop her, with _no_ guarantee that she will. If she doesn't follow my advice, obviously, you'll keep the rest."

"Fine," Wolverine growled, he removed the envelope from his pocket, and began counting out money under the table, he passed it over in a roll rather discretely.

Remy pocketed the roll, "merci," he said with a grin.

"You double-cross me, Gambit, and it'll be the last thing you ever do," Wolverine warned.

Somehow, Remy didn't think Wolverine was the kind of man to make idle threats, "oh, don't worry. I got no plans of double crossin' you, mon ami. I don't want to see the girl do this any more than you do. Believe me, I'll do all I can to gain to stop her from takin' this plunge."

"We'll be keeping an eye on you," said Wolverine as he got up, he tossed a twenty dollar bill on the table to pay for their coffees. "I'll be in touch."

"I bet you will."

* * *

**End of Part Six**


	7. MagneticAttractionPart7

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part 7**

* * *

It had been a hard day for Rogue. Her first class of the day had been harder due to her English literature professor having been caught having an affair with one of the students and subsequently fired with charges pending. The substitute was a much tougher teacher who was determined to make the entire class suffer by insisting on much more advanced course work.

When she'd arrived at her drama class after lunch, she'd found that the professor had already decided they would do a production of Romeo and Juliet, and everyone would be auditioning for the leads whether they wanted to or not.

Rogue's audition, she felt was almost passable compared to the feeble attempts of the others who would have rather opted for something more fun like Grease, or Dirty Dancing. Although she'd did her best just to appease her Professor's faith in her, she wished she'd deliberately bombed at the audition to completely quash her chances of winning the role altogether. Romeo and Juliet's roles required a fair bit of physical contact, and she wasn't sure how she could explain to the professor how she would need to work around this and that kissing scenes and scenes of sexual nature would need to be implied rather than acted out.

_It'd make me look like such a diva_, Rogue thought as she left the auditorium with her bag over her shoulder and her Romeo and Juliet script rolled up in her hand. She went to the front of the main college building and sat on the steps to wait for Remy to pick her up on his Harley. It was already ten past two, and there was still no sign of him.

_Great, he's forgot,_ she thought woefully as she glanced towards the parking lot seeing that Scott Summers' car was still there. She wondered if it'd be wrong for her to ask Scott to bail her out and give her a ride; she wasn't sure right now she could even face the guy let alone ask him for _help_ following their discussion that morning.

"Remy LeBeau, Ah'm gonna kill you," she uttered to herself as she stood up, pulling her backpack over her shoulder and preparing herself to walk.

Right then, an old Ford mustang pulled up to a skid on the road only a few feet away from where she was standing on the pavement, she stepped back a little, somewhat startled, and then the window rolled down and Remy LeBeau peered out from the black car, a smirk on his face.

"New car?" Rogue raised an eyebrow, noting the dings on it, the slight rust on the right-side door and the crack in the wing-mirror attached to it

"Somethin' like that," Remy got out, "you're driving..."

"Am Ah?" she asked as she moved over to the drivers side to peer into the open door, the inside looked clean enough, although the leather seats had been duct-taped.

He gestured for her to get in and she did so, immediately reaching for the seat-belt to which at the moment, was missing.

"Yeah, I gotta fix that later," Remy said, he shut the door for her.

"That's not very safe," she commented, "Where did you get this?"

"I found it, some guy was gonna scrap it, I paid him a few bucks. It's gonna cost a little to fix it up, but it'll be nice once it's done."

"You're good at fixing up cars?" Rogue asked, she tossed her backpack onto the backseat

"Well, no," said Remy, he climbed into the passengers side, "But Pete is, and believe it or not, so is Lance. They're going to work on it a little..."

Rogue nodded, she reached for the ignition and turned the key, it took a few turns before the engine spluttered back to life. "It's a little, uh-"

"Yeah, it's not in the best shape, but I swear, it'll be awesome once it's fixed. Trust me..." he smirked. "You mind if I smoke?" he asked.

Rogue thought it odd that he should ask this in his own car, so she shrugged and replied, "do whatever you want, Ah'm not your boss."

"It's just some people get funny about this whole second-hand smoke thing," he explained as he took a cigarette out, and lit it with the lighter on the dash.

"Ever thought about quitting?" Rogue asked casually as she checked the rear view mirror before pulling the car away from the college pavement and heading to the main road.

"Ain't got much reason to quit," he confessed casually as he took his first drag, he exhaled, "besides. I figure I'm gonna probably die young in some fight or something, why bother bein' a boy scout?"

"Ah guess you have a point," confessed Rogue. She didn't like to think of it, but a boy as young and somewhat reckless as Remy LeBeau was sure to live a relatively short life.

On the road, the car handled great despite a few minor issues with the stick, which Remy kept reiterating he would fix. Rogue loved the feeling of driving on the open road, liked the music from the local station on the radio

"So..." he said when they were on the lone road leading up to the warehouse, "what you think of the car, chere?"

"It's okay," she shrugged, "it needs work but, yeah, it's cool."

Rogue would never understand what it was that he was _thinking _exactly when he reached across and placed his hand on her thigh, squeezed gently and stated in a honeyed tone, "it's yours."

She thrust her foot down upon the brake, and the car shrieked in protest, a horrible sound that went right through her entire body right to her teeth. She snapped her head around to stare at him in disbelief, "excuse me?"

"It's yours," he repeated, "this car is for you."

"Ah'm confused," Rogue stated; her eyes fell to his bare hand which was sitting against her thigh, barely an inch away from the hem of her black skirt. If her tights had been even a fraction thinner, she wondered if he'd still be conscious. "And why do you have your hand on my knee?" she demanded, suddenly quite irritated by this.

Remy glanced towards her leg, then slowly removed his hand, "Just a force of habit," he replied. "Didn't mean anythin' by it, I promise."

"Why would you buy me a car?"

"Why not?"

"No one just _gives away a car_ without a reason. Especially not to someone who's practically a stranger," Rogue pointed out.

"We're not exactly strangers," Remy responded, "And anyway...It ain't like it was expensive. It was practically in the scrap heap," he shrugged, he took a drag from his cigarette before throwing it out of the open window.

"Ah can't accept this," Rogue shook her head. "Ah mean, it's nice of you but-"

"Yes, you can accept it, and you will. Just take it."

She stared blankly at the wheel, trying to make sense of all this. She didn't trust the hand out, and suddenly she didn't trust _him._ Why was he being so nice? Her past experience of him told her that he only did these kinds of things when he had something to gain from it. "You have an ulterior motive, don't you?" she asked, she turned to look at him suspicously.

He gave a soft laugh, "Actually, yes. I don't want my ass dragged out of bed every goddamn morning just to take you to school."

"That's all this is about?" Rogue asked, still suspicious.

"Yes," Remy replied.

"It's still too good to be true," she remarked.

"Not really," Remy admitted, "it's a piece of crap, it's _barely_ running. It needs a hell of a lot of fixing up and that's going to cost...you'll pay for the parts. And of course, you'll need to insure it, and pay for gas."

"Ah guess it isn't _all_ that too good to be true, then," she confessed.

"Now...get us home."

Rogue drew her breath as she started the car once again; it was still hard to think of the warehouse as _home._

The remainder of their journey was in silence; Rogue spent the time reflecting about how she was going to pay for all this on whatever Magneto's allowance would be, plus her other expenses. She pondered if maybe she really would need to get a part time job just to accommodate everything. Every now and then, she would glance towards Remy who was sitting comfortably, one arm propped on the door, window fully open, the wind shifting his shiny brown hair around. She still didn't completely trust him, but for now she was willing to let the issue with the car slide because she really didn't want to give up going to college just because it was too far to walk. Everything since Friday morning had been far too good to be true, from Magneto's agreeing to help her, Logan and the Professor both willing to let her leave to join the Acolytes, and Remy's agreeing to switch rooms with her.

_Ah thought it was going to suck when Ah left but it's all been...actually liveable, good things have been happening,_ Rogue thought. Part of her felt her decision to leave had been the right one after all while the other part of her still said that things being _too _good right now were a sign that there had to be a catch somewhere. Something bad had to happen, it was how balance worked. Good things just didn't continue to happen to someone without something bad lined up to follow, it was the law of averages. Something was going to happen sooner or later.

The gates to the warehouse were already open as Rogue pulled the car along the drive, and she parked the Ford Mustang next to Piotr's white transit. She sat there for a moment thinking about how significant the moment probably should be. After all, this would be her _first_ car. The first thing that was really hers, her first real responsibility.

"Something wrong?" asked Remy as he reached over to grab her backpack from the back seat. He got out first and moved around the car to open the driver's side door for her, which was slightly stiff and needing oiled.

"Just thinking about how Ah'm gonna pay for insurance," she lied as she climbed out.

"You'll think of something," Remy handed her the backpack, and closed the door after her; he put his hand on her back gently to guide her towards the doors.

Flinching back, she frowned, "careful, okay? You know what could happen."

"I'm not scared of your powers, Chere," Remy smirked, "besides. I like a little danger..." he pushed the left side door open and waited for her to step in first.

The moment they entered the warehouse, a strong smell hit them both. Rogue wasn't incredibly familiar with the smell, but Remy seemed to instantly recognise it, because he muttered something in French before he took off towards the stairs to go up to the living room area. Rogue ran after him, noting a very unhappy look had crossed his face.

Rogue hadn't expected to find Pietro Maximoff and Lance Alvers there smoking from what certainly looked to be a make-shift bong comprised from an old cola can and a hollowed out biro. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of what she now realised was some pretty potent pot.

"Seriously," Remy leaned against the rail, frowning, "Magneto isn't out of the place _one day_, and already you're smoking weed in his crib."

Pietro glanced up lazily, he was stretched out on the old couch, dirty sneakers hanging off the left arm. Lance was sitting folded legged on the floor with the poorly constructed bomb, coughing, a vague expression on his face, his eyes pink and glassy.

"Put that shit out," Remy instructed, "you know the rules. No drugs, no alcohol," he gestured to the empty beer cans strewn across the floor.

"He'll never know," retorted Pietro.

"You think so, huh?" asked Remy.

Rogue chewed her lip, wondering if she should just slip by and go straight to her room.

"You gonna run to my dad? Complain about _what bad boys we are_?" demanded Pietro. "You're such a suck up."

Lance began laughing hysterically, as if he thought what Pietro had said to be quite hilarious.

"You know what," said Remy, grabbing the home-made bong from Lance's hand and heading down the stairs, bypassing Rogue in the process, "whatever you do in this place during _my_ watch puts _my_ head on the chopping block."

"Hey, what the fuck!?" demanded Lance. Both he, and Pietro, got up and began chasing Remy. Rogue decided to follow, feeling somewhat compelled just in case it should turn into a physical brawl.

Remy fumed, "You want to smoke that crap, you do it elsewhere. There's a rule here that you don't shit where you eat..." the home-made bong began to glow in his hand as he began to use his powers to charge it up; he tugged the door open with his free hand and stepped outside.

"Gambit, don't do that!" warned Pietro; he tried to use his powers but the effects of the drug plus a few beers in his system affected his judgement, and instead of managing to stop Remy from throwing the can, all he managed to do was bump into Remy's motorcycle, and then tumble clumsily to the ground.

The can sailed a considerable distance way over the fenced wall. As it impacted with the field beyond, there was a terrific boom and an explosion of dirt, some of which, sprinkled across the wall and over the tarmac in the yard.

"Now get upstairs and clean that mess you left up," Remy nudged Pietro's leg with his foot, "and after that, spray the place with Febreeze or something. If Magneto comes back early, you'll know all about it."

Rogue followed Remy back into the warehouse. She could see that his face was red and there was a thin vein at his left temple which seemed to be throbbing.

"Are you okay?" Rogue asked.

"You know...whatever they do...it gets all put down to my leadership. Magneto isn't going to just _accept_ that they do whatever they want. He doesn't agree with drugs or drink...if he saw this...he'd flip his shit...demand why it was I couldn't hold the fort for two minutes."

"And you actually _care_ what he thinks?" asked Rogue, raising an eyebrow. She thought it odd that he would care, seeing as how he'd never cared about what people thought of him before. "You've never cared about what people thought about you or how you handle things..."

"I'm not like you, Rogue. I don't have a home to go back to if everything goes south," Remy pointed out sounding vaguely upset.

"What...what do you mean? What about Jean-Luc?" she blinked, slightly taken aback by the revelation.

"The bum threw me out, okay? I got nowhere else to go now. This is it for me. If I fuck up here, I have nowhere to go."

"What happened?" Rogue asked.

"Does it matter?" he asked, his voice slightly high. "All that matters is if _they _fuck this up for me, I'm screwed."

Rogue thought about suggesting he could always fall back on the X-Men, regardless of past issues. She held her tongue, positive the mention would only cause him more frustration. "Just calm down, okay?" Rogue pleaded softly, "go...Ah don't know...smoke a cigarette or something."

Remy sighed, "I'm sorry..." he apologised looking away from her, "I didn't mean to sound so...whiny. It's not my style. It's just...this whole thing has me stressed."

Tenderly, Rogue reached up to place a hand on his shoulder, she said nothing, but offered him an understanding smile.

He seemed to calm down, and nodded, "okay, I'm over it," he assured. "You should go do your homework or study or whatever it is you need to do."

"Actually," said Rogue, "Ah think Ah could use a work out. It always takes the edge off of a stressful day," she explained, "come on," she gestured, "lets spar."

* * *

Remy wasn't sure why he was letting this new leadership situation stress him out so much. He'd always been able to adjust and adapt, always been able to keep his cool, but right now, all he felt like doing was freaking out. He wished he hadn't vented to Rogue in the way he had either, it felt too close to the bone, he didn't like revealing that he felt helpless, that he had nowhere to go should this all fail. If he'd been able to take back the entire conversation, he would have.

_I shouldn't have ever said anything,_ thought Remy dully. _She doesn't need to know why I can't go back home again. I should have never opened up._

He hated that this was the difference between Rogue and the others here. There was something about Rogue that made him want to open up. He felt different around her, more relaxed, and at times...it became inexplicably hard to keep things to himself when he was with her.

_We just have a lot in common, that's all. It makes it easier to relate, _he told himself.

At least Rogue's suggestion that they spar had been helpful. They'd gone out into the field just outside of the woods and for the next few hours, they worked out, and sparred, shared tips, and tried to wrestle each other down.

Rogue's training with Logan had been quite formal, and she was exceptionally good and hard to take down. However, his informal and unpredictable training made him impossible for her to compete with. Remy had always been able to learn from his previous mistakes, and having fought Rogue before more than once, he'd been able to adapt what he expected of her so that she found it more difficult to take him down.

After two hours, even with his helpful suggestions, she was still unable to pin him, and so, sweaty and gasping for breath, they ended their session, and decided to lay out on the cold slightly damp grass. The sky had gone quite grey and the air had a bitter chill to it which helped to cool them both down considerably.

"That's the best work out I've had in a while," Remy admitted, taking a deep breath, his body heavy with exhaustion, the shifting of the grass in the wind tickled his neck.

"You've gotten better," Rogue confessed after a moment. She used the sleeve of her shirt to wipe her brow.

"Always tryin' to adapt," he admitted.

"You memorize my moves, don't you?" Rogue turned to look at him, she put her hands behind her head.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Every time Ah think to try somethin' twice on you, you seem to know it's coming," Rogue admitted.

"You do tend to go the reliable route. Not that you aren't good. You're incredible. I had a hard time fighting you off," he confessed honestly, he turned to look back at her, his eyes met with hers, and he noticed the way her eyes seemed to match the colour of the pale slightly damp grass. There was something there just beyond her eyes that spoke of a sadness she'd always fought to try and hide, but never could. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"Just...thinking," Rogue sighed, she stared up at the grey sky. "Ah ran into Scott and Jean today. And Scott is still...super pissed at me."

"He was?" Remy folded his arms behind his head and looked up at the sky too.

"Jean says he feels...hurt."

"I'm sorry," Remy replied.

Rogue frowned a little, "you are? Why?"

"Well...I know you liked him. Actually I know you much more than just liked him."

"He was a friend, that's all. Nothing more than that," Rogue sat up and pulled her knees to her chest. "It could never be anything more than that."

"It's gonna sound weird, but sometimes it's better just being friends," he admitted, believing this.

Rogue snorted, "seriously? Doesn't sound like something you'd say."

He leaned on his side, propping his head on one hand, "When you got two people who get along, it's great. And then that first few times on the physical side...it's incredible. But it goes south rather fast, and you just forget _everything _that you liked about that person before you ever fucked them. Sometimes, it's better never goin' past the friend zone."

"Maybe some day Ah'll learn that for myself," she responded, sounding somewhat hopeful.

Remy sat up too, he let his arms rest on his knees, "I hope you find whatever it is you're lookin' for, Rogue. I just hope it doesn't cost you more than you can afford to give."

Rogue turned to stare at him, her eyes filled with a mix of curiosity and hurt. She seemed to be trying to read him, but he was a closed book, or at least he was trying to be.

"I've screwed around enough out here for one day, I need to get back inside and make sure that those two have sobered up and cleaned up that mess they had left," Remy stood up and brushed the dead grass away from himself. "I'm sure you got homework and stuff to do," he added.

"Yeah..."

He reached down to help her up and she took his hand and pulled herself up with his help. "Thanks for the sparring. It was exactly what I needed," he lifted her gloved hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckle; with that, he let her leave, noting the almost embarrassed way she looked over her shoulder at him as she went.

When he returned to the living area, Pietro and Lance had both gone. Remy wondered if they'd gone off to buy more beer or weed, or if they'd just gone into hiding to avoid being yelled at more. Either way, he was glad that they were out of his sight for the time being; he wasn't in the mood for a second round with either.

Wanda was there in the living room, however, picking up the cans and tossing them into a garbage back, mumbling about always having to pick up her brother's mess. Remy noted that although the smell of weed was still somewhat strong in the air, there was an also quite obvious bitter smell that was oddly familiar.

"Who puked?" Remy asked in disgust.

Wanda stopped what she was doing, the trash bag dangling from her fingers, "they both did. And I got left to clean up the mess as they went off to bed to sleep it off," she muttered. "Where did they even get the beer?"

"I guess one of them found a fake I.D.," Remy responded, he moved over to help her pick up the remainder of the trash, a few more cans, some candy wrappers and some scattered potato chips were all that was left. Wanda had cleaned up the vomit fairly well judging by the cleanly scrubbed wet patches on the old rug and the sofa. "I told them to clean this up a few hours ago."

"Yeah, well they didn't. They just smoked a joint and drank more beer."

"They'll pay for it tomorrow," Remy responded, "if the hangover doesn't kick their asses, I will."

"Where have you been, anyway?" Wanda asked as she handed him the trash bag.

"I was training with Rogue."

He caught the brief look of anger on Wanda's face. The television – which was set on a music station – flickered on and off and the signal faltered. The strip lighting above flashed on and off.

"You're spending a hell of a lot of time with her," Wanda remarked, her tone mean and sharp, the kind of voice that would cut through steel.

"I'm trying to be a good leader," Remy replied.

"By spending every waking moment with her? I saw what you did to your bedroom. You swapped it with hers. And made it the _nicest_ bedroom in the place. How come you never did that for me?"

"Jesus, do we _really_ have to have this conversation? I'm kind of beat," Remy dropped the trash bag on the end of the couch. "I never did that for you because your room is actually one of the better rooms in this place. It's actually the biggest room other than the Boss's. You want your room painted, then go and paint it. I'm not stopping you, Wanda."

"I see, so you're quite willing to go paint _her_ room, but not mine."

"Your father said be accommodating."

"You're being more than accommodating, Gambit. You're going out of your _way_ to be nice. Which isn't you. The only time you ever want to be nice to _any _girl is if you think you're gonna get laid."

Remy rolled his eyes at her jealousy.

"And that's never going to happen with her."

"I don't think of her that way," Remy responded, "and even if I did..." he pointed a finger warningly at Wanda, about to remind her that they weren't even technically _dating. _

"I don't trust her," Wanda interrupted, while folding her arms stubbornly, "I think she's going to back stab us all."

"She probably thinks the same about us," Remy responded, feeling slightly irritated about being interrupted. "Doesn't matter if you, or I, or _anyone_ here don't trust her. The boss obviously does enough to take her on board. And he's put me in charge of making sure that's _happy _here_."_

_ "Why?_ Why should it matter if she's happy or not?" demanded Wanda, she spotted a beer can tucked halfway beneath the only recliner and she dragged it out and tossed it into the can angrily. "He never cared if Pietro or I are happy."

Remy frowned, he pushed her shoulder and backed her into the wall, squinting his eyes at her, "You don't get it, do you? Rogue might be the most dangerous person in this place, other than your father. You really want to make enemies with a girl who can absorb every single part of you with a single touch?" he demanded.

Wanda's eyes shifted to the floor, her lips pursed tightly in anger.

"Well?"

"She doesn't scare me," Wanda responded.

"All the same, just do what I tell you to do. I'm the leader, and if I say be nice to Rogue, be nice to her. You don't have to love her, just be civil," he responded.

"Fine, whatever," Wanda reached up and toyed with the collar of his trenchcoat, "how come you didn't come to my room last night after I'd asked you to?" she changed the subject rather quickly.

"I was tired," Remy replied honestly. He'd been tired the night before; he and Piotr had gone into planning the new gymnasium and the training area in detail well into midnight, he'd forgotten about any arrangements or requests and had simply gone to bed. "I could barely stay awake. I'd been up since four after all. I was out cold before my head even hit the pillow."

Wanda pulled him a little closer, her lips nearly grazing his, "Well...I want you to come to my room tonight," she said, keeping her voice low.

Remy thought this over. He was already physically _and _mentally exhausted more than he was sure he'd ever been and Wanda's demands weren't helping. "Can't we just do this another time? I'm exhausted."

"You weren't exhausted when you were sparring with your new friend," Wanda folded her arms, the lights flickered once again.

"Well I wasn't completely exhausted when I started, obviously," he pointed out, he searched her eyes, he could see she was getting hostile, he knew how to read her like a book.

"Does she know that you're seeing me?" Wanda asked, she seemed to be determined to get a rise out of him.

Remy couldn't explain why it was that his stomach flipped just a little. Was it that he didn't want Rogue knowing how he spent his free time? Or was it that Wanda had said 'seeing' as if it meant a lot more than just casual screwing. Momentarily, he thought about reminding her that this was just sex and nothing more, but she already had that dangerous look in her beautiful blue eyes which told him to choose the time to say that very carefully. Now was _not_ the time.

"I ain't told her. None of her business," Remy reminded with a shrug, "ain't no one's business but our own."

"But you wouldn't want her knowing," Wanda said knowingly, her she chewed her lip seductively.

"Tell her if you _want_," Remy frowned, "but just remember, anything she knows could get back to your dad."

Wanda's face went pale, just enough to to convince Remy he'd said the right thing.

"And fine," he said, "I'll come to your room tonight, but I'm tired. You're doin' all the work."

"Yeah, what else is new?" she teased, she leaned up and pecked his lips.

Remy left her to go to down to his basement room; he had a lot to do but it would have to be put on hold for a few hours, as it seemed that he was going to now need a nap to endure it all.

* * *

**End of Part Seven**

* * *

**Thanks to everyone who has so far posted reviews on the story. I'm glad already that so many are enjoying the story, especially since (as far as a lot are concerned) the characters are a little out of character in general. I'm also pleased so many are more accepting of the Remy/Wanda relationship than I thought they would be, lol. I thought people would seriously be up in arms about it, haha. Anyway, hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks again, love you all :)**


	8. MagneticAttractionPart8

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Eight**

* * *

The week at the warehouse had passed far more quickly than Remy LeBeau would have expected. There'd been an old saying that time flew when one was having fun, but he found it to be true that it also could fly when one definitely wasn't.

Most of the days were spent building as much of the new additions to the warehouse as he could, trying to involve the others as much as they would allow. Pietro would complain about being asked to help, but eventually become involved out of excuse of boredom (although Remy knew it was more likely he wanted to avoid the reprimand from his father upon return), and Piotr did as much as he could, being the one to do most (if not all) of the heavy lifting. Wanda frequently offered a hand whenever she was free to do so, but Remy kept her to manual jobs far from the power tools as her abilities would often cause them to come to life or things to fall apart if her mood suddenly shifted. Lance had barely offered any help; Remy had been on the verge of doling out punishments or finding something demeaning for the boy to do when he discovered him hiding in one of the damp basement rooms with his nose in a school book. A little snooping through some letters, applications and books had revealed to Remy that the boy was working on getting his GED and perhaps even hopeful to get into college, and so, for now, he left the boy alone, because he felt that Magneto might approve of this even if Lance was being lazy and unhelpful.

Through Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Rogue offered _no help _whatsoever, much to Remy's chagrin. He'd expected her to be with him on this, at least lending a hand, having been the first to volunteer at the start of the painting and cleaning project Now she was barely ever home. She went to college in the morning, and sometimes didn't come home until well past nine pm, by which time, everyone had downed tools and stopped working.

All Rogue would ask when she came through the door was if Magneto had been in touch, to which, as always, Remy could only reply truthfully that he had not been. The girl would then go to bed, and repeat the pattern.

Remy couldn't explain where she was going all day, and when Friday came, he decided he was going to find out for himself.

He found out what time Rogue's classes finished on Friday by snooping through her things in her room. He borrowed Piotr's van because it was more inconspicuous than his bike, and he parked far away in the student parking lot and waited. She left the college alone, clutching her books and looking somewhat down as always. He caught her glancing at Scott Summer's red convertible, which was parked in the same space it always was, and she had a strange almost wistful look on her face.

_She probably wants to go home,_ Remy thought as he kept himself down low, watching her curiously as she slowly walked to the car he'd given her. She stood for a moment at the hood, shoving the books into her backpack, then tossed it in the passengers seat, got in and drove way.

He trailed her all the way to a local coffee house where she ate a muffin and drank what looked to be a latte, sitting alone looking glum and tired. When she'd done, she left again and he trailed her to the Bayville Library.

He waited an hour at first, then another. Stakeouts were all well and good when getting paid, but he had been bored by the first hour and when it came up near the third, he finally gave in, switched off his iPhone which he'd been listening to the entire time waiting, and got out of the van.

_So this is where she's been hiding every day,_ he realised as he climbed the steps slowly. He realised in all his time living in Bayville, he'd never even set _foot_ here. He laughed inwardly thinking how much this said about him and his interest in literature.

Despite being a small town, Bayville's library was big, and it had two floors and the place was surprisingly modern inside for such an old building. He found Rogue upstairs, sitting at a table near the adult horror section, her hair hanging over her face as she was writing into a notebook.

Casually, Remy sauntered over, dropped himself into a chair and leaned back, "so," he said, "this is where you've been hiding out."

Rogue raised her head, looking at him with an expression full of guilt and dismay, she dropped her eyes again and sighed, "how'd you find me?"

"I saw your car while I was driving by," he lied, he reached over to pull one of her books towards him, and he flipped it over. "History? Seriously?" he blinked, "you don't strike me as a history major."

"It isn't my major."

"What is?" Remy asked curiously.

"English lit," she replied.

"I see," said Remy, he put the book down. "It keeps you busy, I guess, since we ain't seen you hardly at all. You're meant to be _occasionally_ at home helping you know."

"Ah know that," her cheeks flushed and she lowered her head further to hide beneath her hair. "Ah've just got so much course work to get through."

Remy shifted the chair around the table to sit next to her, "you sure it's not 'cause you don't like bein' around us?" he asked.

She shifted away from him a little, "Ah have nothin' against you all," she replied, "Ah've just been busy."

"Okay. But tomorrow is Saturday...and I don't care how much homework you have, you're gonna help some," Remy stated, "I can't just give you special privileges just 'cause I like you," he reminded.

Rogue threw him a look, "Ah didn't ask you to."

"I know that. But while you're out _I'm_ the one who has to make excuses as to why it's alright for you to skip out on doing stuff back home, but not them."

"Then don't make excuses for me," she sighed and closed her notebook. "Ah'm not askin' for any favours."

Remy blinked; her attitude seemed quite uncalled for considering he hadn't been all that hard on her. "I'm sorry...did I...uhm...do something?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "Has Magneto called, yet?"

"No," said Remy. "He hasn't called at all since he left. Sure he'll be all right though. He can handle himself."

"Oh."

"Rogue...there anythin' you want to tell me 'bout?" Remy asked softly, he leaned across the table a little.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...all you ask every night is whether he called...it's all you say to anyone. You don't ask how anyone is or...how our day has been, or...anythin'. You just...come and go."

"Magneto said we could come and go as we please," Rogue pointed out.

"He also wanted everyone to participate in this project to fix the place up," Remy replied.

"I'll help tomorrow. Just get off my damn back, okay?"

"I...fine," he shook his head at her and stood up. He hated to have to be mean, but he forced it, just to avoid feeling rejected. "But I expect your ass downstairs tomorrow at _six am_. I don't care how late you been up studying."

"Fine."

Remy hated how he left things with Rogue. He drove around for a while, trying to make sense of her attitude towards him. He couldn't understand how it had gone so wrong. One minute they'd been friends, then all of a sudden, it seemed not at all.

_I shouldn't have followed her in, I've probably just blown this whole thing. Might as well call Wolverine back right now and say it's all over. She's never going to trust me now._

While he had the van, he went to the all night hardware store just outside of town, and he picked up new supplies for the weekend, hoping to get a lot more work down on the training area at least so they could start using it soon. At least that way, the team would have something to do other than argue and laze about playing console games and complaining about how their lives sucked.

He arrived at the warehouse a little after half nine, and just in time to see the others spilling out of the place dressed up for a night out. Wanda's hair was streaked with bright red, her body stunning in a tight red PVC bodice and matching shorts, complimented by a spiked collar and bracelets. Piotr looked slightly out of touch with an old-fashioned shirt that might have come from the 1980s, and a pair of dark jeans. The others looked far smarter than Remy would have given them credit for.

"Where do you think you're all going?" Remy raised an eyebrow as he began unloading the few supplies he'd picked up from the van.

Piotr helped, "we are going to night club."

"Nightclub?" Remy turned to look at them all, he could already sense trouble.

"It's new," said Wanda enthusiastically.

Remy paused to look between them all, "you're not going," he said firmly.

"Like hell we aren't," said Lance, he was already heading towards his jeep.

"You know the rules, no drinking, no drugs. What do you think goes on at nightclubs?"

"Hell, why do you think we want to go?" laughed Pietro as he climbed into the passengers seat of Lance's jeep, Wanda and Piotr climbed in to the back.

Remy shook his head, "no, you're not going. You three..." he gestured between Wanda, Pietro and Lance, "can't even go anywhere without causing a stir. You honestly think I'm gonna let you to go a nightclub?"

"You think you own us?" laughed Pietro. "You might be the _leader_ when we're meant to be 'on duty', redneck, but it's a friday night, and you aren't keeping us home just so we can sit and put up walls and sweep up sawdust."

"Pete," said Remy warningly to Piotr.

Piotr shook his head, "they are right. We work hard all week...and for what? We need time off...to unwind. It will be fine. We will be responsible."

"You I can trust to be responsible," said Remy, folding his arms, "but them? No way."

"You can't stop us. We're old enough, we can do what we like," Wanda stated coldly, she gave Remy a look of warning. As much warning as there was, he had the feeling she would still be tapping on his door in the middle of the night nonetheless.

"And what if your dad comes back?"

"You think he'll care?" Pietro scoffed, "he hasn't even cared enough to call all week. He does this all the time. He probably won't even come back for another week. Maybe even a month."

Remy sighed. He knew that if they were caught, or if anything went down, then it would be _his _head on the chopping block. Magneto was likely to find out either way. Wanda had been right though. He certainly couldn't physically stop them, and he certainly couldn't drag them physically out of the car and take them inside, there were four of them and only _one_ of him after all, and one of them was twice his size, and another too fast to even touch let alone drag out of a car.

"You know what," Remy uttered, "I'm too tired to argue."

Lance had pulled the jeep off before he'd even finished speaking, and Remy watched them go feeling that gnawing feeling that he'd made a mistake in giving in. So far, he was a lousy leader, and he had no doubt in his mind that Magneto had made a mistake in asking him to be the one in charge.

He went in and tried to do what he could to the building project on his own, mostly spending his time glancing over Piotr's sketches of how it all would look, and smoking cigarette after cigarette until his throat practically burned.

Rogue arrived through the doors at ten thirty, her eyes slightly puffy from exhaustion, her shoulders slumped, her bag dragging from one hand. Remy put his cigarette out on the unswept floor, stomped on it several times to make sure it was out properly, and looked at her.

"Hey," he said coolly, trying to pretend as if he'd never had any issues with her this evening at all. Judging by her expression, she was trying to pretend the same.

"Hey," she responded, "where is everyone."

"Gone for the night," he shrugged, "I guess they sick of listenin' to me too, huh?" he cracked with a wan smile, he took another cigarette out of the packet, then stopped himself, wondering why he was chain smoking, he sighed and put the pack back into the pocket of his jeans, aware she was watching his every move.

"Listen, about earlier," Rogue began as she started to walk over, looking quite uneasy.

"Forget it," he waved the idea off almost as if it were a tangible puff of smoke he could clear away, he moved over to the table to look over the plans again, although he was too tired to make sense of them any more, "I was out of line."

"Ah just...Ah don't know..." Rogue sighed as she took a seat on the nearby chair, her bag propped between her knees.

"You're not comfortable here," Remy finished for her.

Rogue's dull green eyes dropped to the floor, her expression sad.

"I get it, really," he admitted, "but...you're never gonna be comfortable here if you _don't_ spend time here...or spend time with us. I get that you have issues with everyone. I do too, but..." he shrugged, "it's...just somethin' we have to deal with and put up with. I don't feel like I belong here either, you know. Never felt like I belonged _anywhere,_ it's why I usually just come and go from place to place and never hang around. This the longest I've ever stuck around."

She snorted a little, "you belong," she responded, she leaned her head back, "me on the other hand...I've _never_ fit in anywhere. I don't think Ah was meant to. Why else would fate just give me these powers that mean Ah can never touch anyone else ever? That just seems to confirm Ah'm not meant to be around people."

Remy leaned against the table, his eyes carried across to her, he looked her up and down, drinking in the paleness of her skin, the olive green of her eyes, the fullness of her lips and the dark lines of her makeup. "It won't be that way forever, chere."

"It feels like it."

Remy watched her as she went upstairs, and he sighed to himself, feeling quite helpless to everything at that moment. Being here, being leader, being at odds with Rogue...it made him feel like he wasn't himself any more and he couldn't help but wonder if the best thing to do would to be just take off without a word so that he could go find himself again on the open road rather than stay here and try to be someone he wasn't.

It was barely half an hour later, as Remy was idly sweeping up the sawdust, that a voice disturbed his dull thoughts.

"Why is it so _quiet_?"

Remy slowly glanced over his shoulder, recognising Magneto's voice at once, "You're back."

Magneto was carrying a shoe-box sized parcel under one arm, and a suitcase in the other, "There were several flight delays, a few storms affected the trip," explained Magneto, "did you not receive my messages? I tried to call but was given no reply."

Remy turned fully to his boss, leaning on the sweeping brush casually, "I got no calls, no texts, I've had no calls since Monday."

Magneto tilted his head to look at him curiously, Remy assumed it was to gauge whether he was lying about this or not.

With a grunt, Remy removed his phone from his pocket and tossed it over, "see for yourself."

Magneto caught it not with his hands, but with his powers; he dropped the suitcase he was carrying, and picked the phone up and begun to swipe through the thing, checking for any missed calls, or texts. Remy wondered if he'd should have double-checked first to make sure he'd deleted any old texts from Wanda regarding the intimate nature of their relationship. He usually deleted text messages immediately but had been known to forget from time to time.

"Nothing at all..." said Magneto, he tossed the phone back and Remy caught it in one hand.

Magneto's pale eyes scanned the progress the team had made on building the gymnasium. Only one full wall was up, and part of the other, but the flooring had been laid, and there were already beams to indicate where the ceiling and upstairs area was going to go once it was done.

"You've made some excellent progress," Magneto admitted, seeming pleased.

"I was hoping to have it completed before you got back," said Remy truthfully, he pocketed his phone then began sweeping again, "but there's been issues. Some goofing around...nothing major," he decided to withhold the information about Pietro and Lance getting drunk and stoned during the week. "Rogue and Tabitha have school, so their help is only so limited, and Lance is apparently working on trying to get some classes so he can get his GED and get into college...so I've let him have time to study."

Magneto seemed amused, "Avalanche wants to go to college?"

"I was as shocked as you are," Remy responded, he pushed the mess into a dust pan, then tipped it into a trash bag.

"Hmm. That's interesting. Perhaps I should invest something into his education," Magneto reasoned, "after all, the more educated my team is, the better prepared they are."

"I agree," Remy said, feeling somewhat disappointed that he had not continued with his own education and had never finished high school.

"How are Rogue and Boom-Boom adjusting to life here?"

"As well as can be expected."

"And where are the others?" asked Magneto as he looked around, it was the second time he'd asked and Remy hadn't had an answer for him the first time either.

Searching his brain quickly, Remy answered truthfully first, "well, Tabitha is in her room sleeping I think. Rogue is upstairs..." he calculated quickly to what would sound like the most plausible lie, and then tried to add some comment to it as if it would make it sound even more true, "the rest of them all went to see some stupid double feature thing at the movie theatre...action films with Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone. Pretty gay if you ask me, wanting to see that much oiled up muscle," Remy rolled his eyes.

Magneto frowned a little at the comment, but let it slide. Evidently, the lie was enough to keep him satisfied for now. "How has training been going?"

"Not very well...I haven't had the resources. I've set something up, but I only finished it this morning...it'll have to do until we can get the training area and gymnasium together..." Remy explained.

"I'd like to see the team training together tomorrow at six am sharp. It's time everyone became serious about their training and commitment to their positions in the team."

"No problem," Remy nodded. "I'll have them ready in the yard at 6am sharp."

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Magneto picked up his suitcase and headed towards his office area, "I'm going to rest, I'm very tired. I do not wish to be disturbed for _any _reason."

"No problem," said Remy again, watching him go.

Angrily, he kicked an empty paint bucket the moment Magneto had gone, and immediately wished he had not. If Magneto had heard, he did not come out to complain about it. Remy paused to consider what he was going to do. He was going to need Rogue's help.

Rogue had dropped off to sleep listening to her MP3 player; it seemed to her that she'd just closed her eyes for a moment after sitting on the bed, and it wasn't until she felt herself being shaken rudely awake that she realised she _had_ nodded off.

"What?" she asked confusedly, yanking the ear-buds from the MP3 player out and blinking tiredly; Remy LeBeau was hovering over her, his hair tinged slightly with sweat, his face eerily calm.

"I need your help," he said softly in a very low voice.

"Ah'm tryin to sleep," she sighed unhappily.

"I know, chere," he put his hands under her elbows and pulled her up into a full sitting position, "listen, I need your help or I'm in deep shit..."

"What is it?" she asked she dabbed at the corners of her eyes, hoping her makeup had not run or smudged.

"I'll explain in the car," he pulled her to her feet, "c'mon."

Rogue followed him tiredly to the car he'd bought for her; he'd grabbed the keys from her dresser on the way out. He was the one to take the wheel, and she sat in the passengers seat, fighting her exhaustion poorly as he pulled the car as quietly as he could out of the warehouse yard.

"What's going on?" she asked, she fiddled with the radio just so there was some noise to help her wake up a little.

"I'm in such deep shit," said Remy, "Magneto is back."

"He is?" Rogue sat up a little straighter, "when-?"

"It doesn't matter...what matters is that Pietro, Wanda, Lance and Piotr are at an over-twenty-ones nightclub and if he catches them so much as with liquor on their breath..." he shook his head in disgust. "Then I'm in shit."

"Like you care?"

"Look..." said Remy, "all I need to is get them out of there, get them home to bed, and make sure that they're awake at six am for a training session. All we're gonna do is go in, find them, and get them home."

"Why couldn't you do that alone?" Rogue asked.

"Because there's no way all four of them are going to fit in this car," Remy explained, "someone is gonna have to drive Alver's Jeep back too."

"How are we getting in?" Rogue asked. "Do you have a fake I.D.?"

"I have my driving license," he shrugged, "not that I think we'll need it."

"Wait..." Rogue glared over at him, "you're twenty-one?"

"Yeah, what age did you _think_ I was?" Remy raised an eyebrow.

"My age?" she shrugged.

He gave a vague laugh, and thought she was slightly naïve. Still, he supposed he shouldn't blame her.

"What if Ah don't get in?"

"You will. Don't worry," Remy assured.

Remy managed to find the new nightclub, and even more miraculously, managed to find a place on the street to park. He spotted Lance Alvers' jeep parked not too far away which only confirmed they were in the right place. There was a long line of people waiting to get in, but Remy took Rogue's hand, and dragged her straight to the door.

The bouncer thrust a hand against Remy's chest instantly to stop him, "where do you think you're going."

Remy smirked, "inside. You'll probably find I'm on the guest list..."

Rogue caught the flash of green beneath Remy's hand; as the bouncer was glancing over the guest list on a clipboad, Remy tapped on it, placing what looked like two crisp twenty-dollar bills.

"See...there I am _right_ there..."

"Ah...Mr. Abudashi...won't you come right in," the bouncer smirked, lifting the velvet rope to let Remy and Rogue pass by.

Rogue held onto Remy's hand as he led her through the red-lit hallway, "Mr. Abudashi?" she gave a strange laugh.

"It got us in, didn't it," Remy pushed the doors into the main club area open, and he gazed around, "okay, uhm...you go left, I'll go right..."

Rogue stood for a moment, gazing at the thick gathering of scantily clad women, and drunk men dancing and writhing over the dance floor. The bar was barely visible behind lines and lines of people eager for alcohol. Lights flashed and flickered, and the music was so loud she just _barely_ heard Remy's voice over it at all. Immediately she realised this was a very dangerous situation. She'd been in situations like this before, being so close to many people, so much naked flesh in such close range...someone _could _certainly get hurt.

She looked at him concernedly, he seemed to be able to read her thoughts even though he was certainly no telepath.

He leaned close to yell to her ear, "don't worry, you'll be fine...you won't hurt anyone."

"But what if Ah do?" she gazed around, feeling panic rise into her throat, making it hard to breath.

Remy turned her to look at him, gripping both of her shoulders and squeezing them reassuringly, his eyes met with hers, an intense gaze with his strange and fascinating eyes that momentarily, she found it hard to tear her own away from. "I promise, you'll be fine."

She finally agreed because she was eager to be out of the place; and she began the search for the others. It was Piotr she found first, ironically because he was _much_ much taller than most of the other people in the club, and stood out in his old-fashioned shirt like a sore thumb. He was drinking what looked to be a simple orange juice, and he seemed perfectly sober although somewhat insecure judging by the look on his handsome chiselled face.

"Rogue," he yelled in surprise, his blue eyes wide.

"We need to get everyone out of here..."

"What is wrong? Is there fire?" Piotr looked around, seeming almost distressed.

"_Magneto is back,_" she said loudly.

"Huh?" he asked.

She pulled his collar down so he would stoop for her to yell near his ear, "_The boss is back!"_

Piotr's face seemed to go a strange shade of white, he looked around, "we must find others."

With fifteen minutes of searching back and forth from the bar to the upper level of the club, to the smoking area outside, Rogue and Piotr did not happen upon any of the others. Shoving through people trying to make it through the crowds was almost impossible, and eventually Piotr, gripping her hand tightly and pulling her along, had to try and clear the path for her as she looked every which way hoping for her eyes to fall on a familiar face.

_God, this is insane, this place is too mobbed, something bad is going to happen,_ she thought, her stomach in knots.

A hand landed upon her shoulder, and instinctively she tried to swat it away only to turn and find that Remy was attached to it. She took a deep breath, shaken.

"Don't do that!" she yelled at him.

"Sorry," he held up his hands.

"You find others?" called out Piotr.

"I found Pietro and Lance," Remy answered. "I locked them in your car," he stated to Rogue, he reached out, dangling a keyring that was quite clearly a plastic model of a breast. "Here's Alvers' keys to the Jeep, it's parked up the street. Find Wanda and bring her home as _quietly_ as you can."

"I will stay and help," Piotr offered.

Remy disappeared into the crowd, and Rogue and Piotr continued to look. It seemed they'd been over the place twenty times back and forth, and still hadn't come across her.

"Ah don't think she's here," Rogue stood on her tip-toes to call out to Piotr.

"Maybe bathroom?" Piotr shrugged.

Rogue blinked, it was the one place she _had not_ checked. "You're a genius," she said, gripping his hand and leading the way, trying not to get lost in the massive place. _Whoever thought there were this many twenty-somethings in Bayville?_ She wondered to herself as she approached the small hallway to the bathroom area. She let go of Piotr's hand, "Wait there..."

Piotr stood, folding his arms, his expression determined, as if he were standing guard.

There was a cluster of women in the female bathrooms. They stood at mirrors, fixing their hair, applying makeup, she noted several of them giving her strange looks in the reflections as she passed by, looking under stalls to see if she recognised any shoes.

"Wanda?" Rogue called out hopefully. "Wanda!"

No reply, and the noise of the girls talking and laughing amongst themselves as they teased their hair, combed their mascara on and blotted their lips on toilet paper was extremely loud, she doubted she was even _heard._

One noise made it through the commotion of it all though, one noise that Rogue wasn't able to ignore. The sound of someone being violently sick. The other girls heard it too, because some screwed up their faces and decided that this was the time to leave to go back to enjoying the club.

Rogue followed the sound of retching to the nearest stall and she pushed on the door a little, it was unlocked, but there wasn't enough room to step in. The smell of vomit hit her before she saw the shock of black hair. "Wanda?"

"Go...away..." Wanda managed between bouts.

Rogue somehow managed to squeeze herself awkwardly through the small space the door would let her through. When she was in she saw that Wanda was kneeling there, hurling, and her heel wedged against the door had been what had been preventing it from opening properly.

"Your daddy is home," Rogue said nervously.

Wanda turned to look at her, her makeup was smeared, her eyes were bloodshot, lipstick was halfway across her cheek. "You told him we're here," she accused.

"We just wanna get you guys all home so that he doesn't catch you all out," Rogue tried explaining feebly.

"Yeah, right..." Wanda turned to the toilet, she was sick again.

Rogue had to wait at least another fifteen minutes before the waves of vomit finally let up enough for Wanda to leave the stall. All the while, Rogue had stood there, stomach churning, feeling quite nauseous herself at the smell and sight. When they got out of the stall, the bathroom was almost empty; Rogue dragged Magneto's daughter to the sink, wet some paper towels and did as best she could to wipe the vomit from her face, and the PVC bustier the girl was wearing.

"How much did you drink?" Rogue asked out of curiosity as she tried to get vomit out of the girl's hair, wondering how in the world it had gotten up there in the first place.

"I don't know," gasped Wanda for breath, her colour off, her eyelids heavy. "Why are you..." she swallowed, "why you even trying to help me."

"Ah'm not doin' this for you. Ah'm doin' this for Remy. He shouldn't have to be made to suffer at Magneto's hands just because you all decided to go out and get wasted," Rogue explained truthfully.

Wanda snarled at this, and two of the lights above the stalls blew up; sparks flew. Two of the girls who'd been washing their hands gave a gasp, one of them ran out in panic.

"Don't worry about _Remy._ He doesn't need you looking out for him."

"Uhm...whatever," Rogue shook her head, she dragged the girl by the wrist, "come on," she led her out of the bathrooms.

By the time they had reached Piotr, Wanda was already staggering quite badly, falling about. Piotr picked her up and thrust her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing. Rogue led the way out of the club, and noted the disapproving looks of the bouncers and club staff as they left. A bouncer remarked that they were now officially banned from ever returning. Rogue wasn't bothered with this one way or the other.

By the time Piotr had loaded Wanda into the back seat of Lance Alvers' Jeep, the girl had passed out, and was snoring so loudly it was almost quite comical. Rogue tilted the rear view mirror so she could watch as Piotr strapped the seat belt upon her.

"She's gonna have some hangover tomorrow," Rogue commented.

"I am sorry we ruined your night," Piotr checked the belt on Wanda, then got into the passengers seat.

Rogue slipped the key into the ignition and started the engine. "Doesn't matter. We're a team, we're supposed to stick together, and help each other out."

"That is a good way to look at it."

An odd wave of calm left Rogue feeling strangely content despite the events of the night having caused so much stress in the short time she'd been involved. She supposed her first 'outing' with the team could have gone much better, but at this point, she was sure, it couldn't get any worse. Besides, even if it did get worse, it wouldn't matter.

Magneto was back. And he would find a way to make it better for her.

She was almost certain of it.

* * *

**End of Part Eight**

* * *

**Thanks to those who reviewed the last part. It's always nice hearing what you guys think, even if you're not so keen on the whole Wanda and Remy situation. As to those who wondered where characters like Toad, Blob and Pyro are, you never know when those guys might turn up ;)**

** Hope you enjoyed this part and can't wait to hear more from you guys. You make writing so much fun. **


	9. MagneticAttractionPart9

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**PART NINE**

* * *

When the alarm on Remy's phone went off at 5.20am that Saturday morning, he felt so much despair he wished he'd just left the Acolytes altogether the moment Magneto had decided to call him _leader_.

It felt as if he had barely slept at all, as he'd had to get up several times during the night just to make sure that Pietro, Lance, and Wanda were all right. He'd been warned before about people who drank too much and wound up choking to death in their sleep from vomit. As much as he was mad at all three of them right now, he didn't want any of their deaths to be on his head.

The first person he woke up was Piotr; he turned the light on in Piotr's room, much to the larger boys dismay, sighing as Piotr pulled his head over his pillow while groaning.

"Time to get up," Remy stated lazily, he leaned against the door frame, "I need you to get Quicksilver and Avalanche up. Do whatever you need to, but get them up, and tell them I want to see them in the mess hall in about fifteen minutes."

Piotr gave a sigh but did not argue. Remy liked that about Piotr, he was good at taking orders and he always seemed to have his back these days. Remy pondered if he had to choose a second-in-command, whether Piotr would be a good candidate.

_Probably not,_ thought Remy as he walked along the cold slightly sawdust-strewn floor towards Wanda's bedroom. _He's never been good at thinking on his feet and giving orders. He'd make a good soldier, but not a commander._

Remy threw the door to Wanda's room open, making sure to be loud about it. He turned the light on, "Wanda, up. We have training," he said, speaking as loudly as he could.

Wanda groaned, pulling the blankets over her head to drown out both the light and the sound of his voice.

"Wanda, get your ass up, I'm serious. Meeting in the mess hall in fifteen minutes, then training. I'm not kidding around."

"Fuck off," Wanda muttered irritably.

"Get your ass out of the goddamn bed, I'm not in the mood for this," Remy warned.

"Shut up! I have a massive headache."

"Oh I'm sorry," Remy walked over, and yanked the covers off of her with one sweep, "Am I meant to feel _sorry_ for you? Am I meant to be all sympathetic because you got absolutely wasted and spent the night throwing up?"

Wanda sat up; evidently on this occasion she was too exhausted for her powers to even affect the electrics or any other item in the room as usually was the case. "I said I'm not going!"

"The hell you're not," Remy retorted. With some struggle, he picked her up, receiving a few bites and scratches in the process (and no doubt later, some bruises), and put her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" she shrieked.

"Thought this would suit you," Remy uttered, carrying her out of the room, "since you like playin' rough," he added under his breath as he carried her to the women's shower room, dropped her into the nearest shower stall still fully clothed from the night before, and turned the faucet on to cold at full blast.

Wanda howled in protest, her hair plastered to her face, the remaining makeup from the night before streaking black down her pale cheeks.

"Now," said Remy slamming his hand hard against the cold white tiles of the shower room, "Listen carefully, 'cause I'm not gonna repeat myself this morning. Get showered, scrub that shit off your face, get yourself dressed and get into the mess hall in fifteen minutes. Or else!"

Remy found that as he left the woman's shower room, Piotr was leaving the mens, having done basically the same thing with both Lance and Pietro. _Great minds think alike, I suppose,_ he thought dully as he went to wake up Tabitha and Rogue.

Tabitha was already up, having fallen asleep early the previous night, and she was more than open to the idea of an early morning training session. Remy felt her undressing him with her eyes as she nodded in agreement that she would be outside in the yard at six am sharp.

He truly regretted having to go to Rogue's room to wake her up; she'd had to get up a few times during the night herself because Wanda had been throwing up violently. Remy thought it miraculous that Magneto had managed to remain undisturbed through the whole ordeal. When Remy opened her door and switched the light on, she was still sleeping soundly, and the light did not wake her. He sighed inwardly and called her name.

"Rogue..."

She did not stir, and he stepped in, putting his hand on her blanketed shoulder to shake her gently. He realised this was the second time within a seven hour span he'd had to waken her up. It seemed quite unfair. If he'd had the ultimate choice, he'd have let Rogue and Piotr skip the training session altogether.

_They don't deserve this crap,_ Remy thought miserably, realising that he didn't even think the way he used to any more. There'd been a time when he'd have barely cared about anyone other than himself, and now...all he could think about how things affected everyone else.

Rogue gave a soft groan and rolled over, her eyes fluttering open slightly. Remy noted she'd fallen asleep in her makeup _and _her clothes.

"Chere, it's time to get up for trainin'."

"Do we have to?" Rogue sighed tiredly.

"Sorry, but yeah. Magneto says six am. You have like, I dunno, half an hour to be ready."

"Okay," was all she replied with.

"Be outside in the yard about six am, okay?"

"Ah will..." she assured, sitting up, her hair a mess, her eyes puffy.

Remy showered as fast as he could, skipped shaving, dressed as quickly as possible and went to the mess hall. Surprisingly, Pietro, Lance and Wanda had already arrived and all three were sitting at a table, looking sickly and exhausted. He could only feel satisfied that they would be as miserable as he was for probably most if not _all_ of the day. At least that was something.

"Do you guys even _remember_ anything from last night?"

"That you dragged us out of a great party," said Pietro dully, he was pushing around an empty paper cup idly.

Wanda wouldn't even meet his eye, nor respond to him. Lance simply gave a shrug.

"I covered for your asses last night. Magneto came back while you were out _clubbing_ and _getting drunk,_" Remy stepped to the end of the table, looking down it at all three, he placed his hands on the surface and leaned over it a little, giving them each a dirty look. "You know what'd happen to all three of you if he found out? You think he's going to invest time and effort and money on _any _of you with your acting out this way?"

"Whatever," Lance muttered.

"Yeah, whatever," Remy shrugged, "whatever, right? 'Cause education doesn't cost money or anything, does it?"

Lance looked up suddenly, his brown eyes almost vacant.

"You have a plan. Hell, I can almost _admire_ that. Get a GED, make up for the _years_ you spent slacking in school, maybe get into college so you have something to fall back on," Remy explained, "but that stuff takes _money_. Magneto pays, and he pays _well,_ and get this, he might even be willing to help you out with _paying_ for education."

Now, Lance looked completely embarrassed and somewhat regretful.

"But I doubt he'd be much interested in payin' for the education of a drunk stoner," Remy continued. "And you..." he pointed to Pietro, "You go out and do this shit and act like it's all cool, because _hey, _you're Magneto's son. And Magneto's son should get away with everythin', right?"

Pietro snorted in contempt.

"Hell, you might get away with it, you might not," Remy folded his arms coolly, "but he's _never_ gonna respect you. You're just another _lackey,_ that's it. That's all he sees you as. He has nothin' to be proud of, and I can see why, since all you do is go out of your _way_ to be obnoxious and disappointin'. You go into everything half-assed, you never try, and you don't care. And you wondered why he chose _me_ as leader, and not _you? _Keep wonderin', maybe you'll figure it out one day."

Pietro had nothing to say, his mouth was open, but he seemed beyond words now, so instead, he looked down, his cool eyes, the same colour as his father's, were cold and angry.

"And Wanda..." Remy set his jaw, "if you really want your daddy to put you away again, just keep on doin' what you're doing. Trust me, it's gonna happen. You don't take your medication, you get angry at the _littlest _things, you destroy _half_ of our stuff on a near daily basis. You haven't trained properly a _single_ day since I've been here. You don't work on controlling your powers, you just let them cause chaos wherever you go without so much as a care..."

"So what?" Wanda shrugged, "You know I try."

"Try _harder,"_ Remy said. "From now on, you _have _to. All of you have to. This is _it_. This isn't some Brotherhood bullshit, we're the _Acolytes_ now. We're above all that teenage incompetence crap. We're supposed to be exceptional...unbeatable. We don't know _what_ Magneto is going to have us facing out there. We don't know what's ahead of us and we need to be ready for it. Magneto wants us to be like the X-Men, but the way you all are acting right now, the only thing we'll be is a _joke._"

All three were looking to the table top now, their cheeks still pale and their eyes still bloodshot.

"Now..." Remy said, "I haven't said anythin' about last night to Magneto. And I don't intend to...long as you'll make me a deal and agree that today, and for the rest of the time you spend in this team, you'll work your asses off. So how 'bout it?"

* * *

Rogue was exhausted. It seemed to her that she had barely slept at all; when Remy had come in to her room and shaken her awake it had been as if she'd _just_ closed her eyes. She wasn't sure how long she had slept, only that she'd been up and down through the night because she'd gone to check on Wanda, concerned that the girl may accidentally choke in her sleep.

When she arrived at the yard a few minutes before 6am, she discovered that no one else had quite made it there yet other than Magneto, who was standing looking up at the dark sky. The floodlights in the yard lit up his hair and it almost seemed to glow.

"You're back," Rogue said, trying to sound surprised as she approached.

"Yes, I returned last night."

Rogue tipped her head to the side, "I didn't know. Did you get back late?"

"Near eleven, I think it was. It was a sixteen hour flight and then a three hour drive. It was very tiring."

"Ah'll bet. You must have slept like a baby," Rogue searched his pale eyes, she'd said it simply hoping for a response that would give her an indication of whether he had witnessed or heard the events from last night.

"I slept more soundly than I think I have in years," Magneto answered softly, "you seem tired, though. Is Gambit overworking you?"

Rogue gave a nervous laugh, "no. College is though..." she crunched her toe idly into some broken glass, wondering why it was that no one had ever bothered sweeping the yard up. "So...did...you uh...how was Japan?"

"If you are asking if I managed to obtain the components I need to build the machine...then I did," Magneto stated.

"That's...that's great," Rogue tried to contain her need to smile.

"But please understand, you may need to wait a little longer. You are probably aware there are several projects here that need my attention immediately."

"Ah know that there's a lot of plumbing and electric work needs fixing, and the gymnasium and the training area need sorting out," Rogue sighed. "Ah'm sorry...Ah'm not tryin' to be impatient..."

"I understand, Rogue. I promise, I will not fob you off with excuses. I would still like to work with you individually to see if a way to control your powers physically can be achieved in the meantime, at least until I the extensive time I need in order to build the machine."

"Okay," Rogue agreed, not quite thrilled about the idea of working one-on-one with Magneto, but willing to give it a chance simply on the basis that her evolution would be the end result eventually.

As their conversation ended, the others begun to arrive, starting with Tabitha and Piotr, and then Pietro, Wanda and Lance with Remy trailing behind.

Rogue examined the three who had drank the night before and they all still looked quite ill. She was positive it would be a good long while before they ever thought about drinking again.

"You three look terrible," said Magneto at once, he put his hand on his daughter's face and tipped it up so he could examine her.

"There's somethin' goin' around," croaked Wanda, pushing her father's hand away weakly.

Magneto seemed slightly suspicious about their appearance, but for now, was willing enough to drop it.

Remy stepped up in front of everyone. "Okay, so..." he swung his hands at his sides casually, "we ain't got a training room yet, and it's gonna be a while until we do," he explained, "in the meantime, I've set something up with Colossus's help until then..." he gestured for everyone to follow him.

Piotr and Remy led the way to the woodlands, both holding flashlights to light their way. Finally they came across a clearing, and Remy went to start up a generator which was connected to several floodlights in the area.

It seemed that Remy's temporary training area was a simple hand-built obstacle course using various materials on hand. Rogue could only see parts of it, yellow tape around trees to indicate a starting point, and the first hurdle seemed to be an incredibly huge net which went way up into the trees at least, by her reckoning, twenty feet. There was a ditch of dirty water directly at the bottom which she assumed was in case anyone should fall, and the only way across the ditch – which had to be at least ten feet wide, were two rickety looking logs.

"You have been busy," said Magneto, rubbing his chin.

"You want us to do _this?"_ Pietro asked incredulously, Rogue saw Wanda give him a sly elbow to the ribs as if to warn him off.

"And you'll be timed," Remy said.

"Is this actually one of those _impossible_ obstacle courses that there's no way of finishing?" asked Lance glancing up at the top of the net.

"No, it's do able."

"I timed. Gambit did in five minutes, twelve seconds on first run."

"I bet I can do it in ten seconds," said Pietro smugly, although afterwards he looked away, his face turning almost green, he seemed to swallow hard as if he thought he was going to vomit and had to force it back.

"If you think you can," Remy took his iPhone out of his pocket and opened up the stopwatch app, smirking, "course ends right behind me, right here," he gestured to the left.

"We don't get to look at it before we do this?" asked Tabitha.

"No," Remy said, "The point of the course is that you don't know _what_ you're facing, and you won't immediately know how you're going to get past what you find..." he glanced at Pietro, almost knowingly. "You'll be going in pairs. Pietro and Lance can go first."

Rogue saw the smugness in Remy's expression. Oh yes, he was going to make them suffer today. She supposed it would be hard to blame him for doing so either.

"Fine," Pietro said, he took off his hooded top and tossed it towards his sister, he cracked his knuckles. "I'll beat your time too."

Remy reached into his pocket and produced a small foghorn while Lance and Pietro readied themselves at each end of the markers Remy had set down. The foghorn sounded, and the two rushed off.

Pietro did as Rogue had predicted which was to immediately use his powers. Before he'd even gotten to the top he was tangled in the net, hanging by his ankle and struggling to get himself up out of it. Rogue blinked as she stood beside Remy, watching with slight amusement.

"Did you do something to the net?" she asked.

"That'd be telling," Remy responded, keeping an eye on the clock.

The others waited, making bets on who would make it out of the course first. All bets were still on Pietro, who took a minute to tear himself out of the net and get over it and to the other side where he disappeared entirely.

"He's faster than Lance, surely he'll get out first," Rogue commented.

"You think so?" Remy asked.

A few minutes passed, and the others kept an eye on the finish line of the course, the last hurdle was a slide attached to a net from the other side. It was Lance who made it to the finish line. The boy was caked with mud, his hair was thick with it, his clothes were nearly black. The one part of his face that hadn't gotten coated in the stuff was bright red from the effort, and he was gasping for breath. Despite the exhaustion.

"Well done," Remy said, seemingly impressed, "you actually beat Quicksilver."

"Yes!" Lance punched the air.

"Where's Pietro?" Wanda asked, her expression full of concern.

"I don't know..." Lance breathed, "Last I saw him, he was behind me. How'd I do?" he asked of Remy, falling to his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Twelve minutes, and forty-nine seconds" Remy responded, "faster than I expected, actually," he had a pencil and a small note book, and he wrote this down. Rogue was quite surprised at how well organized he was regarding this. She'd expected something a little more slap-dash when it came to Remy's training.

"Pietro still hasn't finished," Wanda pointed out."

"He'll be fine," said Remy; something told Rogue that he already full well knew exactly where Pietro was. "Wanda and Rogue, you're next up."

Wanda tossed her brother's hooded jacket to the ground, cracked her knuckles and readied her stance at the starting line. Rogue prepared herself, giving Remy a curious glance as he raised the foghorn to the air and set it off.

And they took off.

Rogue learned immediately that all was _not_ as it had seemed. The net was slippery, as if the strings were coated with oil. And even though she was wearing gloves, she found it incredibly hard to keep her grip the first through tries and her leg slipped into the muddly water below her. Wanda fell in altogether and had to pull herself out awkwardly, panting already.

Some strings were weak, and snapped beneath her boots as she climbed, and others seemed like elastic, prone to stretching, twisting and tangling, catching the heels of her boots and trapping her, making it hard to fight her way to the top. It seemed to take several minutes. On the other side, there was a slide consisting of thick sheet plastic and this _was_ most definitely oiled. Rogue slipped down roughly, spinning out of control and landing with a thud to the bottom in very thick gloopy mud. Rogue was sure she felt her ankle twist, but she forced herself on, aware that Wanda was still caught up in the net at the other side. She took off running in the directions that were indicated by the tape on the trees.

There was so much mud it was hard to get through; and it was so thick that it nearly yanked her boots off as she fought her way through it. There was running through trees, ducking and jumping over small ravines. She spotted the edge of a net that seemed to be half-hidden beneath branches and leaves and she dodged it, having a feeling that there were some traps set up.

She came to a very long log crossing across a massive hole which seemed to be about fifteen feet deep; on further inspection, she saw it was full of muddy water. It seemed to be the only way across; the sides were fenced away with chicken wire, indicating that the only way to go was forwards across the narrow and rather rickety looking log.

"Shit," she whispered to herself as she stepped onto it and felt it rolling slightly beneath her feet. She began her way across slowly, balancing, trying to remember her training with Logan about balance and knowing where her centre was. She heard a sloshing sound below and she looked down to see that Pietro was down there, trying to get his way up. "Oh, there you are," Rogue realised.

"I can't get up!" Pietro fumed, "the sides are too slippery..." he revealed.

Rogue took another step forwards, watching as he tried to pull himself up the muddy walls and ended up sliding further down. He tried using his powers to propel himself up, but this only seemed to create a more slippery area, and he slipped back down miserably. She wondered if it were because he was so hungover that he had become so inept, as she'd seen him be pretty capable at such things in the past.

No...it looked to her that there was no traction on the sides, it had apparently rained all night turned would have been fairly hard walls into slippery muddy slush. Tthere _was_ no way up as far as she could see. As she got to the other end after her careful and slow balancing act across the log she heard Pietro calling up to her.

"You're not just gonna _leave_ me here?!"

"Why shouldn't Ah?" she asked, looking over the edge at him, careful to not get too close in case she should slip down there too.

"Come on!" yelled Pietro desperately, "this water is freezing..."

It occurred to her that _should_ she pull him out, he would probably backstab her anyway. He would most likely push or pull her in and leave her there. But another thought _did _occur to her, and that was that he _was_ trapped, and that if Remy had his way, who knew how long he was going to be left down there like that? It was cold this morning, and that water probably was freezing.

With a sigh, Rogue went to break a branch from one of the trees which as just long enough for him to reach and grab. She braced herself against the other end of the log and pulled hard as she could while he fought his way up. While she was struggling to get Pietro out, Wanda practically ran across the log in the most impressive balancing act Rogue had ever seen and shot straight ahead, without even giving a second thought to stop and help her brother.

They both fell to the ground panting exhaustedly after she'd eventually managed to pull him up. He said nothing to her, and certainly not 'thanks'. Instead, he got this feet, and in a blur, he sped off in the direction the markers indicated.

_At least he didn't throw me in there, _she thought as she took off running, realising she was far behind now.

There were several more obstacles to overcome. Swinging over another ravine from rope to rope, trying to get across a small clearing without setting off landmines which shot mud in several directions, and fighting her way through a tunnel hidden by bushes, trying to avoid getting scratched by thorns and sharp twigs. When she got to the final obstacle – the net at the end, she was so tired she could barely pull herself up and as she reached the hard plastic slide on the other side, she tumbled over, slid to the ground and landed with a soft thud.

"Eighteen minutes, and ten seconds..." Remy noted down, he reached a hand down to her despite hers was thick with mud.

She let him pull her up, she gave a sigh and tried to wipe the thick mud from her knees after, looking down at the mess of herself. She noted the amusement even in Magneto's eyes.

Pietro was sitting on the ground, looking annoyed, Rogue threw him a dirty look, knowing that she'd have probably beaten Lance's time if she hadn't stopped to help him out of the ditch.

_Maybe Ah should have left him there,_ she thought dully. She sat nearby Wanda, who was complaining to anyone who would listen about the fact that she'd lost one of her shoes in the mud and hadn't been able to find it. Rogue thought it ironic that the girl had gone looking for the shoe but hadn't even bothered to stop and try to help her brother out of the ditch.

Piotr and Tabitha were the last to participate in the obstacle course. There was no surprise that Tabitha – much smaller and _much_ more lithe than Piotr – made it through much faster than Piotr did, almost beating Lance's time (two seconds different, which had given her reason to lament). Piotr, although certainly having helped build the course, had taken the longest time to get through it, and when he finally did arrive everyone had almost assumed he'd gotten trapped in the same way Pietro had.

Rogue sat on the woodland floor, caked in mud, uncomfortably cold and saturated in her clothing.

Remy was leaning against a tree casually, he gave everyone a few minutes to relax.

"So," said Lance, he was trying to get the caked mud out of his shoulder length black hair, "who won? I did, right?"

Remy snorted, "you think that's what this was about? Winning?"

"It wasn't?" asked Wanda.

Remy replied simply. "To be honest, if there was going to be a winner for this course, then it's gonna be Rogue."

Rogue blinked, staring up at the young man blankly, she didn't understand how he could think this, when she'd apparently taken the longest to get through the course thanks to having to stop to help Pietro.

"Bullshit! I was the fastest!" Lance objected.

"Quiet," warned Magneto, who had been standing silent up until now, observing them all.

Wanda's face fell, "How could _she _be the winner?! She took nearly twenty minutes! You got to be jokin' me! She took longer than anyone else! This is favouritism!"

"This isn't about who was the fastest."

"Yeah, right," Lance uttered.

Remy and Magneto shared a look, Magneto seemed quite interested on how Remy was going to handle this situation.

"I sent you in as _pairs,_ and the first thing you all do is assume it's a race..." Remy frowned, "Quicksilver got caught in one of my traps...and the _only _person who even bothered to stop and help him out of there was Rogue. Wanda, you passed right by! I know you must have because you got out of there two minutes ahead of Rogue."

Wanda had that expression that said she really didn't care. Even her brother seemed somewhat disgusted and looked away from his sister, shaking his head.

"You could have worked as a team to get through the course, you could have helped each other out of the nets, could have helped each other out of the other traps or get through faster...but instead, you cared only about yourselves."

"You set us up!" Pietro shot, his pale eyes cold and angry.

"And it worked," said Remy.

Magneto folded his arms, his expression stern, "the point of this exercise was to see you all working together as team-mates, you all failed...except from Rogue, who seems to have a better understanding of teamwork than _any of you,_" he frowned.

Rogue felt her cheeks grow hot, she stared down at the ground, wishing she could disappear into it. This wasn't going to do anything for her popularity with the team, she decided.

"You all failed this exercise miserably, and there will be punishment," Magneto continued.

"Aw, come on," Pietro groaned.

"Your punishment will be that you will go through this course again and again until you get it _right._ And I will be watching the entire time," Magneto commanded, "Lance and Pietro, you will go again, and this time, you will work together."

Lance and Pietro gave mumbles of resentment and protest, but set to go off again, exhausted already.

When five minutes had gone by, and the next pair were to go through after Lance and Pietro, Rogue stood up to team up with Wanda again, but Magneto stopped her.

"Not you," Magneto said.

"Huh?" she blinked.

"You already understand the value of teamwork. The others are being punished. You, however...do not need to be."

Rogue chewed the inside of her cheek, staring up at his clear blue eyes; she'd never noticed how incredibly soft they could be, or how incredibly soft his voice could be either. He somehow didn't seem as much of the tyrant she'd expected him to be.

"Go get showered and changed. Enjoy your Saturday."

"Thanks...Ah guess," she said.

Magneto used his powers to float off, apparently to rise up high enough into the trees so he could observe the team participating in the obstacle course. In Rogue's place, Tabitha paired up with Wanda.

Rogue wandered over to Remy, who was placing his phone, pencil and notebook down upon an old tree stump, apparently readying himself to participate too; it seemed that he would be teaming up with Piotr, which to her made sense as it seemed they worked quite well together. "Ah've been given a reprieve," she said casually.

"You've earned it," Remy responded. He swept his hair from his face and tied it into a small, stubby ponytail, which Rogue immediately hated, leaving her deciding he should cut his hair.

"It's...kind of impressive...all this leadership stuff you've been doin'."

"It is?" he asked, rolling up the sleeves of the old sweater he'd chosen to wear.

"Did you come up with all this stuff on your own?"

"Most of it is just stuff I learned with the Thieves. They used to run us through these kind of courses all the time. It's a lot harder doin' a course like this in the swamps. If this had been Louisiana, that water woulda had gators," he smirked.

"Ah doubt that the Thieves guild had you workin' in teams though."

He gave a shrug, "I'm just goin' on stuff I've learned in movies and in books, and some common sense. Faking my way through things is what I do best, and this ain't no different."

She dug her toe into the dirt a little, hands behind her back, "Ah think you're a better leader than you give yourself credit for..." she admitted softly.

"Thanks, but I think you're over-exaggeratin' just a tad," he winked. "So...what are your plans today? You goin' to see your X-Men friends?"

Rogue thought about this, "Ah...Ah don't know, actually...it's probably not a good time to go visiting...too soon, you know?"

"If you leave it too long, they might think you've severed all ties with them," Remy replied, "they're still your friends after all, and good friends are hard to come by."

Rogue realised that he was right of course. The thought of visiting everyone didn't sit well with her yet though. "It's just...the questions...Ah can't deal with them all askin' me why Ah left."

"Hey, at least they care enough to ask, right?" he headed over to the starting line, where Piotr was already waiting to go. "Well, whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a good day. It's probably gonna be a lot less stressful than the one I'm about to have either way."

Rogue smirked, she certainly didn't doubt that.

* * *

**End of Part Nine**

* * *

**As always, thanks to everyone for their thoughtful reviews. I'm always excited when I saw the review alerts show in my inbox. Truly makes my day. I hope everyone enjoys this instalment, and continues to enjoy as I keep adding (which I'm hoping will be more frequently than the updates of the previous stories I've posted).**

**Anyways, love you all 3**


	10. MagneticAttractionPart10

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**PART TEN**

* * *

Rogue sighed as she sat at window table in the Bayville Bean Box at nine am that Saturday morning. She'd ordered a double espresso but it still hadn't arrived as the place was busy as it usually was on a Saturday morning.

She raised her eyes just as Logan stepped through the door, his brown leather jacket slightly wet from rain which had just started. He came to her table and took his jacket off to dry; he hung it on the back of his chair and said nothing to her as he sat down. He simply stared across the table at her, as if waiting for her to be the first to speak.

She had the distinct feeling he was still mad with her; she'd heard it in his voice when she'd called him and asked if he would meet with her for coffee at the Bean Box.

"Ah almost thought you wouldn't come," Rogue was the first to speak, feeling slightly nervous. She toyed with one of the menus that had been on the table.

"I told you I'd be here if you needed me," Logan finally replied.

"Ah know," Rogue nodded.

"So...what's going on?"

"Ah just..." she sighed.

"Miss home?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

"Ah missed it even before Ah left," she admitted, she put the menu down.

Logan called out for a plain coffee, the waitress seemed flustered enough as it was but he seemed to take very little notice of this.

"How...is everyone?"

"Everyone is the same. Place is chaos, the kids are noisy as ever. Professor has set some new training programs up that are really putting them all through their paces."

Rogue felt a surge of loneliness; despite she'd never quite fit in with them all, she couldn't help but feel the longing to be there amongst them once again. Only, she had to remind herself of all the complications that always brought, and all the mixed feelings of being there once again.

"You know you're _always _welcome to visit," Logan reminded.

"Ah know that," Rogue sighed. "And Ah will...just...not today."

They made idle small talk as their coffee arrived, Rogue stared into espresso, thinking of how it was the same colour as the mud she'd been knee deep in earlier today. She wondered what Logan would have thought of Remy's obstacle course. Would he have been impressed or would he have thought it was the worst idea ever? She thought perhaps it'd be a little of both.

"How are things going with Magneto's crew?"

"It...it isn't actually that bad. Not as bad as Ah thought it was gonna be, anyway," she admitted awkwardly, somewhat ashamed to admit it. "He's...he's not as bad as Ah thought he was. He's...been nice...or as nice as someone like Magneto can be, Ah guess."

"I still don't like the guy," grunted Logan.

Rogue supposed she couldn't blame him for that. "Ah think he really _has_ changed. He...seems so different. So much...calmer...like he's not the same person."

"A lot of people seem that way lately," Logan responded. He looked at her pointedly. "Everything is changing."

"Ah haven't changed."

"Haven't you?"

Rogue blinked, she couldn't quite find any response to this. She certainly couldn't detect any changes herself.

"You seem different, Rogue. I don't know...something isn't the same with you. It hasn't been since the minute you said you wanted to leave us."

"Ah'm the same. Ah always have been."

"I hope so," he said. "So...how's it being under Gambit's leadership?" he asked, changing the subject.

Rogue tilted her head, staring at him curiously, "how...did you know he was our leader?" she asked, beginning to wonder if perhaps Logan may have been spying on her and the other Acolytes. The thought of it didn't sit easy with her, and made her feel strangely ill inside.

"Magneto speaks to Charles, Charles speaks to me. Word gets around," Logan shrugged.

"Oh," Rogue responded, she took a moment to consider her answer. "Remy is-"

"Ohhh, so you're on a first name basis now, huh?" Logan teased, smirking.

Rogue sighed, "if you're just going to make fun-"

"I'm kidding," Logan chuckled, "so how is he as a leader?"

"He's...actually not bad. He's tough but...fair. At least Ah think so. There's been a few problems but...he always finds a way to fix them quick. He's actually a much better leader than Ah'd have given him credit for. It's...been quite surprisin'."

"I've seen the kid in battle, he seems to have his wits about him, and that's somethin'. He's much more calculatin' than the rest of them. He's the one to watch out for."

"You think Ah shouldn't trust him?" Rogue asked. She was sure it wasn't what Logan was suggesting, but she wanted to see what his response would be nonetheless.

"Well..." said Logan, he seemed conflicted for a moment as he considered how to respond to this, "I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him, but-"

"Listen..." Rogue spoke up, "Ah've touched Remy before...more than once, and Ah _know_ him. Maybe not as well as Ah know you, or the others but...Ah know enough to tell when he's up to his tricks or bein' sincere."

"And you think he's being sincere with you now?" Logan asked seriously, he lowered his head slightly and looked at her beneath his thick wolf-like brows.

"Ah think so..." she confessed, she stared into space as she thought about it. Certainly it seemed to her that Remy had been somewhat sincere, and besides, what could he _possibly_ gain otherwise? As their new leader, he had something of an authority to ask her to help him anyway, so what other reason would he need to be nice to her?

"You have a good head on your shoulders, Rogue. When the time comes and you have to decide whether or not you can trust him, I know you'll be able to make the right choice."

Rogue sighed, "what about Magneto?"

"What about him?"

"Do you think Ah can trust him?" she asked seriously as she sipped her espresso after blowing on it to cool it down.

"Rogue, I don't want to start an argument-" Logan shook his head slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"You know how I feel on the subject. You ask that question, I answer honestly and then we end up arguing and it ends with you storming out and us not talking. I don't want that. I want us to _still be _friends. So..."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, sipping her espresso still. She said nothing else, and waited, to see if he would eventually cave anyway.

"If you want to know what I really think...fine," he sighed, "Just...don't walk out."

"Okay," she agreed flatly.

"I think...you only _want _to trust him because he can give you what we can't. I almost don't even blame you but...I don't think he _is _trustworthy enough to have your powers put in his hands."

She frowned, but held her tongue.

"I came here promising myself that I wasn't gonna do this," Logan drew his breath.

"Huh?"

"I'm gonna ask you one last time, Rogue. Come home, give up the idea of evolving your powers. Whatever the problem with your power is, we will _figure it out._ I will help you..."

Rogue stared across at him, thinking about this proposition.

"If you need someone to sit there and take touch after touch until you figure out what it is that you need to do to control it, then I'll do it, I can take that much pain, that much punishment. Whatever it takes until you figure how to gain control..." he reached over and gripped her gloved hand tightly; his grip was so strong, it almost hurt.

Sadly she stared down at his hand over hers, and contemplated. Finally, she shook her head, "Ah don't want to see you suffering the agony of my drainin' the life out of you and Ah don't want to be waking up every night for months because of nightmares from fractured memories that you didn't even know you had..."

Logan's expression was dark, close to defeated.

"Ah...Ah appreciate that you would do that for me...even though Ah know how much you really don't like people bein' in your head..." she admitted. "But...Ah can't. Ah'm sorry."

"Just...promise, that if everything goes pear-shaped, if you suspect for even _one _second that something is going on and Magneto or Gambit are trying to double-cross you or...trying to use you as a weapon..." he trailed off.

"If that happens, Ah'll be back. Ah promise. Ah won't stick around to be used by _anyone."_

* * *

Remy LeBeau lay staring up at the ceiling, his mind in a haze. It'd been a long morning, and the team had not been let go from the obstacle course until well after 1pm. Every bone in his body ached from climbing, and running, and jumping, and sliding around on that damn course. Regardless of how many times he'd run it and knew it in and out, he'd still managed to get bruised and battered from running across it, and now due to the exhaustion of having done so, his mind felt as if it were barely switched on any more. He'd been trying to nap for the past few hours but he somehow seemed incapable of shutting down completely enough to let the sleep come regardless of the exhaustion weighing him down.

The creak of the door to his basement bedroom alerted him to the fact that someone was stepping in without knocking, and he turned slowly to glance in the door's direction. Wanda was standing there, her colour seemed slightly better than it had this morning, at least.

"What is it?" Remy asked.

She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm bored."

"So go do some work. Sure your daddy could use a hand putting together that new heating system."

"Not that kind of bored..." she remarked, she put her hand right on his groin and squeezed.

Stubbornly, Remy smacked her hand away, "seriously?" he asked, "You think it's gonna be that easy? I'm still pissed at you."

"So?" she asked insolently. "I'm still pissed at you too," Wanda shifted to kneel between his ankles whilst she began unbuttoning his jeans. "You threw me into an ice cold shower and practically humiliated me at training this morning."

Remy wasn't sure how he'd humiliated her, but he wasn't all that interested in asking either. He wasn't in the mood for an argument right now. He was far too tired for that. He watched as she worked on getting his button fly open. It was such a shame that angry sex was such a turn on for this crazy young woman, and that his resistance was only more likely to put her in the mood.

He closed his eyes as her cool hands worked his tender flesh, the blood began rushing to his member regardless of how much he tried to deny it to do so. It wasn't the first time this week he'd wished his body would stop defying the decisions he'd already made in his head.

"Magneto is barely two doors away," he reminded, he gasped just a little at how rough she was being.

"I'll be quiet," she assured.

Remy was slightly concerned that her being quiet wasn't the issue, that it was more likely that _he'd _be the one struggling with the concept if she didn't loosen her grip.

It was odd, he thought, how this made him feel strangely _dirty _and somehow...used. It had never bothered him before. Casual sex had always been a welcome activity from any young woman he met if she was attractive enough. Casual sex with no risk of relationship was a blessing, and it had never ever been a chore, even when he was thoroughly exhausted, he'd have never even considered turning it down.

But lately, these encounters with Wanda had started to become more and more of a chore...and he hated chores. Didn't matter how good she was, how much variation she tried, and how unpredictable each and every encounter was. It was a chore, a monotonous (although undeniably enjoyable) chore. His body certainly enjoyed the pleasure, and the release, but somewhere inside, he'd already grown emotionally bored of the whole thing long ago.

It was going to have to end.

_This is gonna become a problem,_ he thought as he lay there idle while she used her mouth on him. While she performed, his mind drifted. What was he still to do today? Should he do some more work on the gymnasium, or change up the hidden net traps around the obstacle course, since no one had stepped into them it seemed he'd poorly placed them. It certainly couldn't be they were _that_ observant that they'd all managed to deliberately side step them.

_I could use some time away from his place, _Remy decided as Wanda ripped open a condom wrapper and sheathed him. _Definitely been spending far too much time here, lately,_ he thought dully as she straddled him, she pulled her skirt up her hips a little and mounted, her hands pushing roughly against his chest as she rode him harder than a bull at a rodeo.

If she noted any difference in his behaviour during sex, she said nothing to suggest it. Instead, she satisfied herself as she did all the work, never questioning his idleness. She seemed to enjoy deliberately pressing on the various bruises he'd gained over the past few days while running – and building – the obstacle course. He was good at hiding his pain (even when she deliberately pressed on the bruise forming on his chest, an injury caused by being elbowed accidentally by Colossus that morning) but the longer the experience continued, the rougher she would get.

Remy decided that he wasn't going to cry out or complain about what she was doing, it was too obvious she was doing it deliberately just to cause a reaction. To let her know he was in pain would only give her more reason to continue to do as she was doing with more fervour than before. There was definitely something of a _sadist _about this girl, it was one of the things he sometimes liked about her, and at other times, loathed completely.

When Wanda had done with him, she climbed off as casually as someone may just climb off a horse after having ridden across a field. She began smoothing her skirt down. He noted that she had not worn any underwear, which to him seemed to indicate that she had come to his room fully intending to use him in which ever way she wanted regardless of what he would want.

"Don't you ever get sick of just doing this just for the sake of doing it?" Remy asked of her as he lay there with his arms behind his head, still staring up at the ceiling.

"Not like there's much else to do around here," she checked her appearance in the cracked mirror he had put on the wall, fixing her hair a little. "I need this, and I like doing it. Besides, I know you like it too."

_Not with you, _he wished he had the guts to say. He was tempted to say it, to be _mean _about it, but he simply couldn't force it out. Besides, at least it was sex, and with all this stress he'd been having to endure lately, he definitely needed the outlet even if he wished it weren't Wanda Maximoff.

He wondered if perhaps it may be time to go out on the prowl and find some new sexual partners; girls with a little less risk or _crazy _attached to them. That pretty waitress from the Bayville Bean Box probably would have given him a one night stand, she looked like the sort of self-conscious easy target he could have easy sweet-talked into bed. Thinking about it, he realised he wasn't even _that _interested in being with her either, although it had crossed his mind.

Remy was almost certain that wasn't going to make him much happier in the long run. Didn't matter what girl he decided to get between the sheets with, none of them were going to make his life any better.

It was like comfort eating, he decided. Any girl he met was practically like whatever standard food might in a cupboard; he could pick whatever he wanted, have his fill, but the satisfaction wasn't really there afterwards. He didn't feel _full, _and in the end all there was to show for it was an empty cupboard and no recollection of having even actually enjoyed the food all that much. Each and every one of those girls he'd ever been with might as well have been a metaphorical cheeseburger to try and sate his sexual appetite, some were McDonalds fair, some not.

Not one, however, seemed capable of being fillet mignon.

Wanda left the room without a word to him, and he was thankful for that. A short while after she'd gone, Remy cleaned himself off, changed his clothes, and decided he was going out. He'd had enough of the warehouse and the Acolytes for one day. He needed a break. It was a Saturday, and he was damned if he was going to spend it stewing here, especially knowing that Wanda would most likely be back later.

He rode his bike to town, first checking out a small music store regardless of the fact he didn't own a CD player or a record player. He simply liked the atmosphere (and besides, he sometimes liked to buy the t-shirts they sold). He wandered for a while on the streets, the cold air biting his cheeks and whipping his hair around his face. He finally settled on a bench in Bayville park with a cup of rather poorly made coffee from a kiosk. It was nearly seven pm by then, and the sun was already setting as the Autumn had brought the nights to darken much earlier.

Remy sighed to himself, although he wasn't sure exactly why. He wasn't inordinately unhappy, and yet, he couldn't help but feel glum nonetheless. He tried to tell himself it was just exhaustion and stress. It occurred to him that part of the reason he felt so incredibly off as of late, was that he no longer felt quite like himself. Responsibility and rules were playing havoc with his personality and mood. He didn't like it one bit. He contemplated telling Magneto he'd had enough, he didn't want to be leader any more, but he doubted the man was going to accept that, especially so soon.

"That coffee tastes like motor oil."

Remy had been sitting in a daze watching the sunlight disappearing and the sky turn a strange hue of dull dark blue when he heard Rogue's voice behind him. He turned to look over his shoulder at her, surprised to even see her standing there, her hands in the pockets of her hooded top, her skirt slightly flapping in the wind.

"I only bought it to warm me up," he confessed as he shifted along the bench to make room for her to sit, and she did so, still keeping her hands in her pockets. "One thing never been able to deal with about this town is the cold. Never liked cold weather."

"Ah don't mind it, now," Rogue admitted, as she crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, looking up at the sky.

"I've always preferred the heat," he admitted, he stared at the sky too, he saw the moon just behind some almost completely bare trees.

Rogue didn't seem to really know what else to say. Small talk was not this girls' best skill. He turned to look at her, the way her hair was shifting in the breeze was somewhat beautiful, the streaks in her hair almost seemed like liquid silver as they reflected the light from the lamp posts nearby.

"How was your day?" he asked casually. If she wasn't going to make small talk, he supposed he should try. He was usually _much _better at this but his exhaustion had killed most chances of his being charming and conversational for this evening.

"It was fine," she replied.

_Fine? Just fine? That's all you're going to say?_ He thought at her, feeling somewhat disappointed that she wasn't at least going to try harder than that to be social.

"Spend it all in the library again?" he teased.

"No. Ah had coffee with Wolverine, Ah had lunch at Subway..._then _Ah spent some time in the library," she retorted, smirking back at him. "What'd you do?"

"I had sex."

Remy wasn't sure what possessed him to blurt this out, he hadn't been thinking too clearly, perhaps it was the exhaustion, or perhaps it was the spray-painted breasts someone had graffiti'd on the wall of the nearby public lavatory building; his eyes had just fallen upon the picture as he'd spoken.

"Ah...see..." Rogue said, she seemed quite unsure on how to respond to this revelation. She shifted uncomfortably on the cold bench a little.

He immediately felt the need to disregard the mention of it; he didn't want to go into when, or with whom, or how long it'd been going for. He wished he hadn't mentioned it at all. Blurting something like that out to an eighteen year old woman who might _never _know what sex felt like was probably one of the most insensitive things he'd ever done. He felt genuinely guilty and embarrassed, something he'd have never expected of himself.

"Do you maybe wanna go for dinner?" he asked suddenly, hopeful the change of subject would work.

Rogue considered this, still clearly feeling awkward about what he'd said. "Ah-" she began, she seemed to be searching for an excuse.

He stood up and tossed his half-drunk coffee into the garbage can next to the bench, he reached his hand out to her, "come on, I'm buying," he urged.

Her eyes dropped to his hand, and she breathed something of a silent sigh, then raised her eyes to his, he had the distinct impression she was trying to read him. He wondered if she _could _see anything in his eyes at all, or if they were probably the same dead empty black and red orbs Wanda had stared into as she'd rode him only a few hours ago.

Just as he was almost about to give up on the idea and drop his hand, Rogue put her hand in his and let him help her to her feet. "Okay."

They opted for the nearby Pizza place that was just across the street from the park. It was one of those small, intimate places, all red brick walls, little two-seat tables and old fashioned oak chairs. They sat at opposite sides of a round table, a tealight candle flickering weakly between them on a gingham tablecloth. They opted to share a pizza, because neither really had the appetite to eat a whole one each. Remy wondered if she'd opted to share simply because she didn't want him seeing her trying to eat a _whole _pizza by herself. Since she'd come to live with the Acolytes, he'd never seen her consume more than a slice or two of Pizza. Was this all the girl lived on? For that matter, he'd begun to wonder lately if it was all _he_ lived on.

After ordering their food, they sat in silence for some moments, not sure what to say to each other. He did his best to try and change the subject and do his best to make conversation just to put her at ease, but clearly his revelation of his earlier sexual encounter was at the forefront of Rogue's mind, because she kept blushing every now and then as if she were imagining whatever he might have been up to. He was sure if she knew the things Wanda had done to him over the course of the last three weeks, he was sure her cheeks would _probably _remain in blush for quite some time.

"I'm sorry about what I said in the park," he said finally, deciding to be straight with her as best he could to hopefully put the conversation to rest properly, "It was stupid. I wasn't thinking straight."

"It's fine," she picked up her orange soda and sipped delicately. "Ah always knew you slept around...Ah've had your memories...so..."

"So there's some things you were bound to know," he agreed. "But still, I shouldn't have said anything. It was rude."

"Don't sweat it. You're just being...you," she stated, he got the distinct impression she was trying to sound brave and worldly, "at least you're not sparin' my feelin's like everyone else does around me, tryin' to walk on eggshells and get around sayin' things. Ah can't stand when people _pity me_ because Ah can't touch people."

Remy didn't want to admit he pitied her too. He would have pitied anyone who would never know what real intimacy was like. He tried to hide his pitied stare, and leaned back casually in his chair, "You know me, I tell it how it is. I don't side step things like most do."

Rogue picked up a bread stick and snapped it, he watched her closely, wondering the things he usually didn't ask himself about her. Did she ever think about sex? Had she ever experimented alone? Had she ever even _seen _a naked man before?

"You ever think about it?" he asked, reaching for a bread stick also and taking a large and rather obscene bite.

"About what?"

"Fucking," he said crudely.

Her cheeks went pinker; he couldn't deny he felt some personal delight in this. As she looked down to the table cloth, thoroughly embarrassed now, he tried not to smile.

"To tell the truth," said Remy thoughtfully as he chewed, "you get about as much satisfaction doin' it yourself, and _none_ of the complications or irritation or risk of hurtin' someone's feelings. Or gettin' hurt yourself."

The pizza arrived just then, suddenly Rogue didn't really seem all that hungry at all, he wondered if perhaps that was his fault or if she'd even been hungry to begin with. He noted she hadn't even taken a bite of the bread stick she'd picked up, she'd simply snapped it, and then put it down on her napkin.

_At least she hasn't asked me who I've been messing around with...not that I've any intentions of telling her,_ he thought as he lifted a slice of the pizza to his lips.

"It's..." she tried to speak, quite embarrassed and uncomfortable with the discussion, "It's not the whole sex thing that bothers me about my powers...it's...the not bein' able to...connect to someone, you know?"

"I know," he replied truthfully, "I've seen your books. All romance novels, stuff about eternal love, and belongin' to someone," he stated. He hadn't meant to sound like he was teasing her, but somehow his tone had come out that way, because she suddenly seemed quite annoyed with him.

"Ah guess you wouldn't understand."

"You're right, I probably wouldn't," he agreed, still chewing, "Don't get me wrong...the romance thing, I nail it. I can totally convince a girl I'm in love in five seconds. But do I feel it? Hell no," he shrugged as he chewed.

Rogue took her gloves off and lay them down neatly beside her before picking up a slice of pizza. Her hands were so delicate, so pale and soft looking, her slim tapered fingers held the pizza so lightly, he found himself strangely wondering what _her _touch would feel like in an intimate situation. She came off as angry and rough sometimes; the way she fought with him when they'd sparred had been very tomboyish, and never at any point delicate. But...there was something quiet and retiring about her that suggested a shy, tentative and graceful feminine touch. The thought of her bare fingers against his face brought a strange hot flush over his entire body, and he imagined how incredibly light they may dance across his jaw and skim behind his neck to bury themselves in his hair.

His eyes fell down to his lap when he realised the thought of _this_ had gotten him so much harder than what Wanda had done to him only a few hours ago. It was something he hadn't quite expected to occur with so simple a thought...especially not as _innocent _ a thought.

"Something wrong?" she asked.

He looked up at her, realising that he must have momentarily let his guard down enough that she had sensed something wasn't quite right. He shook his head slightly and reached to take a sip from his glass of cola before saying, "nothin' at all." He thought it quite bad that he lied so effortlessly. He leaned forward a little more onto the table, hoping to hide the bulge; not that he thought she would lean forward enough to try and see if she thought there might be something to look at. What would she have thought of this? Would she have even believed that the mere thought of her touch upon his face had left him aching like this? She'd have probably laughed in his face. He thought of being bold; he could take her hand and lead it to his groin just as he had done on many other dates with other girls.

That kind of behaviour wouldn't have been acceptable with Rogue though. He had to remind himself that _this was not a date, _and besides which, she had no gloves on; reaching for her hand would be like asking for a coma.

Instead of taking action as he'd have normally done with any other girl in the same situation, he forced the idea out of his mind altogether and tried to find the most unappealing thing he could to think about. Usually how Todd Tolansky smelled helped in these types of situations. Remy LeBeau was almost certain that if he could bottle the smell of the Toad's sweat, it could have been used as a deterrent for sex offenders.

"Ah...spoke with Logan, today," said Rogue, after several minutes of awkward silence.

"Oh?" he asked, appreciating her attempt at small talk. She'd already told him, of course, that she'd had coffee with him this morning. He supposed he should have asked how that had gone then, and perhaps he might have, had he not been so exhausted and still feeling slightly miffed about his situation with Wanda.

"He wants me to go home," Rogue sighed as she leaned her elbow on the table, she took a small bite of her pizza. "He thinks you or Magneto – or _both – _are gonna betray me."

Remy thought about this, "well..." he said after a moment of contemplation, "the important thing, really is...what do you think?"

She chewed her lip and thought about it, "Ah just don't know any more."

"You can trust me, Rogue," Remy promised, all the while hating himself that he was lying. If she could trust him, he wouldn't have taken money from Wolverine on a deal that he could make her change her mind about evolving her powers. She wouldn't care that he'd used that money to benefit her by buying that car and lied about the deal he'd gotten on it. She wouldn't care that he'd wanted her to have a car simply because he thought she should have one, and not just because he didn't want to be awakened every morning just to take her to school.

"When you say that, Ah almost believe you," she admitted, "but...past experience...well...ah _know_ how good a liar you are..."

He reached out his hand towards her, "if you want to be sure," he offered, knowing that she would _never _willingly absorb his thoughts. She'd fallen for that trick before, although, the suspicious part of him wondered almost if she wouldn't a second time around.

Rogue gave a deep sigh, and for a moment, she reached her bare hand towards his, their fingers were barely centimetres away and for one brief moment, Remy was the one tempted to complete the connection despite he knew she would find out what kind of a jerk he really was. As he moved his hand closer, she flinched away and shook her head.

"No..." she said, "Ah...Ah believe you," she admitted embarrassedly.

_You really shouldn't,_ he thought dully.

They made general small talk as they finished their pizza; they did not opt to stay for dessert. They discovered the night had grown much, much colder when they left the restaurant. The air had taken on that definite October bite, and Remy's fingers stung as he walked by Rogue's side in the direction of the street she'd parked her car on.

"Ah can't believe it's October already," Rogue admitted, she walked in a lazy stroll, the heels of her boots clicking heavily on the paving.

"It's been a fast year," confessed Remy, "been a crazy one too, for that matter."

"Yeah," Rogue agreed.

Remy felt his knuckles hit against her gloved ones accidentally, and ironically found himself thinking of how, in the nightclub last night, he'd led her around holding onto her hand tightly and thinking nothing of it. Right now, he thought of taking her hand and walking with her that way to see how it might feel, to see if it might feel for a moment like they had some kind of a relationship.

He chided himself silently. _Stop it,_ _why are you thinking like this?_

Rogue put her hands in her pockets, and he wondered if briefly she might have thought the same thing he had. He had the ability to certainly _make_ her attracted to him. But was she attracted of her own free will when he wasn't trying to be charming? Did it even matter?

As they walked he thought perhaps he should take his coat off and put it around her, she was shivering slightly after all. But that was too bold a move and he wasn't sure how it would be interpreted by her, especially since the coat stank of cigarettes.

They finally got to her car, and she unlocked the door, trembling in the cold. "You want a ride? You can always get your bike tomorrow," she offered.

"Nah, I think I'm just gonna ride around a while."

"Are you sure? It's _freezing_ out here."

"The fresh air will do me good," Remy admitted, thinking that the cold air might clear his head and get rid of these conflicting thoughts.

"Thanks for dinner," Rogue said, she leaned on the car door for a moment, looking at him, "and the uh...talk."

"No problem," he smiled a little at her. "I'll catch you later..." he stepped away from the car, watching her getting in.

He lit a cigarette – having waited to be out of her presence to do so – as he watched her drive off. Watching the car disappear around the corner, he felt his stomach churn and he wasn't quite sure why. Bad pizza, or...bad feelings? He supposed it didn't matter which in the end. Both were problems that would eventually sort themselves out.

* * *

**End of Part Ten**

* * *

Thanks to everyone as always for their kind reviews, and adding the story to their favourites. I know it's not quite as exciting (or as popular) as Derranged Marriage or Blind Leading the Blind, but it's nice to see it has a little group of people following it :)

As for the sequel to Derranged Marriage (few people been asking) it will come eventually. For the moment, I've been focusing on this story mainly because the inspiration/ideas are coming so freely. I won't post a new story while another is in an uncomplete state just to try and keep everything nice and neat (and easy to keep up with, lol).

Anyway, off I go to finish writing part 19! 3


	11. MagneticAttractionPart11

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Eleven**

* * *

That night, Remy had his very first sex dream about Rogue. It caught him by surprise when he awoke from it, because he never usually dreamed this vividly at all and he very _rarely _even remembered his dreams once he'd awakened. The climax of the dream had been what had awakened him, followed by the familiar warm feeling between his legs which told him that his pleasure had spilled from dream to reality. He reached over to where he kept his phone and hit the home button to check the time. It was well after three in the morning.

With a sigh, he lay there for a few moments, memories of the dream still lingering. For some reason, he'd been wearing pantaloons and a feathered hat, and Rogue had been in a beautiful gown of thin, gossamer white material so sheer, he'd been able to see her surprisingly spectacular body beneath. They'd spoken like characters from an Elizabethan play, lulling words of poetry and romance. Somehow, they'd ended up in a huge bed, curtained by fine lace and rich gold velvet; Rogue had made love to him like no woman had _ever _made love to him before. She had rode him with more fervour and passion than Wanda ever had.

And when Rogue had done those things to him...he'd felt bliss like he'd never felt before. He'd _wanted_ it so much, and been longing for it. In this dream, he had felt as if he'd longed for that experience his whole life, and as it had come to its explosive and climatic close, he felt almost as if he'd understood _why _it had been worth the wait.

Memories of every detail stayed with him, memories that for _any_ other dream would never have remained as vivid. His lips almost seemed to tingle with the warmth of kisses he'd never even shared with the girl, and even the tender tentative touches the Rogue in his dream had given him seemed to linger, as if he'd _really _felt them, and not just in a dream he would _never _live out in real life.

Everything in that dream had been wonderful. _Everything_.

Remy couldn't even remember actually _recalling _a dream similar. He'd certainly had dreams about sex before but he rarely ever remembered much about those dreams afterwards other than the vague memory of who the dream had been about. In all the time he'd known her...he had never had a sex dream about _Rogue_. She'd been one of the _only _girls in fact he'd known that he'd _never even _fantasized about being with sexually, nor had ever dreamed about in that particular way.

_Why now?_ He wondered as he got up, feeling the uncomfortable wetness on his groin. Normally, he slept in the nude, but this particular night it was cold and he'd just gone to bed wearing the clothes he'd gone out with earlier, meaning that at least he wasn't going to have to change his bedding.

He peeled his jeans and underwear off, and tried to clean himself off as best he could since he'd run out of tissues (the last of which had been used to clean himself off from his encounter with Wanda earlier). He made a mental note to buy a few more boxes if he should go out today. Realising he was _not_ going to get another few hours sleep after this rather bizarre awakening, he decided he would go take an early shower.

As he left the basement, he heard the volume from the television upstairs in the living area, and he realised that he was _not _the only person still awake at this hour. Someone else also couldn't sleep...or had fallen asleep in front of the television.

He went for his shower, spending a little more time in there than he usually would being a little more careful and mindful of the various bruises he'd gotten from the obstacle course. It normally wasn't in his nature to be so careless when training, but exhaustion and stress, and his mind always elsewhere had lately changed _everything_ about his normal way of functioning. He hadn't felt this sore or bruised since he'd first started learning to fight in his early teens.

He was sure that half of those bruises had probably been made worse by Wanda's deliberate pressing on them during intercourse. He shuddered at the thought of her trying to deliberately leave her mark on him. Even if it would be where most people wouldn't see.

After dressing into some old jogging pants and an old faded band t-shirt, he went up to the living area to see who was still up at this ungodly hour.

He hadn't expected it to be Rogue.

She was stretched out on the couch, remote in hand as she went about changing the channels, her expression was serene, but tired. Her hair was tied back and her face was completely free of makeup. Remy was almost entirely sure he hadn't seen her looking quite so fresh-faced and young before.

Except in that dream, of course.

_No. Don't think that. Don't think about that right now._

She glanced up at him, and her expression changed immediately. She sat up, looking strangely alarmed, as if she hadn't expected to see him either. "Remy," she blurted, the remote nearly dropped from her bare fingers.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" he asked with a sigh as he dropped casually onto the couch. He hadn't meant to sit quite so close, and when his thigh pressed against hers completely by accident, he felt his body flush with the same kind of passion that he'd felt at the dinner table last night.

"Ah got a few hours," she confessed with a shrug.

"How come you aren't watching TV in your room?" he asked curiously as he reached for the remote, taking care to _not_ let his fingers brush against hers.

"Ah tried but Ah can't seem to get a signal..." Rogue seemed to chew her cheek, her dull green eyes fell to the floor.

"I'll look at it later if I get time," Remy promised her, he switched channels, finding it ironic that even at ten to four in the morning, at least _three _channels had characters engaging in carnal acts. Normally...he'd have not minded, but to be seeing all this in the presence of the young woman he had _just _had the most intense sexual dream about...well...it wasn't helping take his mind off of it. Quickly he changed the station, settling on a really bad talk show, some stuck-up British guy in a suit was trying to give advice to a pair of young promiscuous women who were fighting over the same man. He supposed it would have to do, as there seemed to be little else on television at this rather odd hour.

"Ah hate this guy," Rogue remarked, she leaned against the back of the couch and folded her arms casually.

"Yeah, I don't like the guy either," Remy admitted, he leaned back lazily, putting his feet up on the makeshift coffee table after kicking an empty KFC bucket out of the way.

Remy watched as Rogue brought her feet up onto the edge of her seat, her black painted toenails were quite pretty even in the low lighting of the living room area. As the television screen flickered, he spotted little tiny flecks of silver glitter on the paint. He realised, as his eyes fell on the bottle sitting on the table not far from where his own feet were, that she had _just_ done this a short while ago.

"Funny..." he said suddenly, "you painted your toenails even though you _always_ have your feet covered."

Rogue tilted her head to the side and looked down at her toes, she gave a casual shrug, but didn't seem to have an explanation as to why she'd done so. He supposed her only explanation would be boredom.

He looked down at his own bare feet, they weren't quite as pretty as hers. He had bony, unattractive feet, the kind of feet that he decided should _never _be put in flipflops even on the _hottest _days of the year. "I hate my feet," he confessed casually, "they're the ugliest thing about me."

"They aren't too bad," Rogue said, examining them. She gave another shrug, "Ah've seen worse."

"Oh?"

"Kurt has really weird feet," she pointed out.

He supposed he hadn't thought of it this way before, and had only ever seen his bony feet as a flaw to an otherwise satisfactory body.

"He can hang upside down with them. Hank too."

Remy smirked at the thought of this, "I don't suppose I'd be able to do that quite yet. If my toes get any longer though, I dunno, I...hope that isn't part of my mutation or anything..." he wiggled his toes thoughtfully.

Rogue sat forward, grabbed the bottle of black nail-polish from the table and shook it before opening it up. Without so much as a word, she leaned forward and began brushing it with such delicate care upon the big toe of his left foot. He watched with absurd fascination at this incredibly peculiar act. He was positive no woman had _ever _put nail-polish on him before.

"Feels cold," he admitted; the strong smell that had immediately escaped when the bottle was opened was already making his head swim a little too.

She went about painting each toenail, carefully and precisely, which made him wonder if she, much like Piotr, was any good at artistic crafts like painting, or drawing. She was certainly skilled at applying her makeup, so it wouldn't have surprised him, he decided.

The silence between them was beginning to irk him; she seemed content with being quiet, and not saying even a word, but he didn't like this. Usually, it wouldn't have bothered him, he was generally quite content to sit silent and listen to others around him, but with Rogue...it was so different. He _wanted_ to talk to her, he found himself wanting to talk to her about things he never _ever _ spoke about with others. He found himself thinking she was the only one around her who was perhaps _worth_ talking to.

"You know how we had that discussion in the restaurant?" Remy asked.

Rogue lifted her head to look at him for a moment, her cheeks went pink incredibly quickly, and it looked adorable, like a couple of English roses upon a white wedding dress.

"Well..." Remy continued, "I had the most _insane _dream about you and me..."

Her eyes quickly averted back to his toes; he stretched his legs over her knees so she had better access, and surprisingly, she did not object to this but simply went about painting the toes as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

It felt strangely comfortable now, like a thing they might have always done together.

Not quite sure why he had to tell her about the dream, he continued in a relaxed, casual tone. "We were in some kind of old time setting...totally talking like they do in those plays they used to make us watch in high school – at least on the rare days I actually went," he explained.

"Oh?" she asked. He wondered if he'd accidentally given her the impression that this dream was quite innocent. The thought of embarrassing her about the details somehow began to tickle him with absurd delight.

"You were wearing this...this dress," he stared up at the ceiling, eyes eventually adjusting into space, "white...flowing...completely and _utterly _see-through. It looked bananas, and you...well...you just looked insanely bananas in it."

"Bananas..." she repeated, her cheeks flushing hot now.

"If I ain't said it before," he continued, "you have _very _nice assets...from what I saw, anyway."

She went on painting the toes on his right foot although now it was with less care; he glanced down briefly to notice that her hand was somewhat trembling, and she had smudged the polish a little on his middle toe. This delighted him although he couldn't explain why.

"Then...somehow, me and you end up in this big ass bedroom, in this bed...four poster, the kind you see in those old period movies...and you fucked me like _no _woman has ever fucked me. It was incredible. I didn't know you had it in you."

Rogue managed to smudge the paint across the final two toes, it looked quite disastrous compared to the nice job she'd made with the others. "Ah..." she stammered, "Ah wish you wouldn't joke about it..." she took a deep breath as she twisted the bottle of nail-polish shut tightly.

He moved to sit up straight, and leaned forward to look at her closely, "Oh, chere," he breathed heavily, "I wasn't jokin'."

Her cheeks flushed scarlet, she leaned across to put the bottle of nail-polish back onto the table, and when she did, he put his hand against her back, noting that he could feel no bra beneath her t-shirt. The thought made him practically twitch.

"You ever thought about experimenting _over the clothes?"_ he asked, suddenly quite serious.

"Remy!" she gasped, trying to break away.

"C'mon...what's to lose...? Just a little fun...everyone is still asleep...no one gonna hear a thing..." he smirked.

"That isn't funny..."

"Wasn't meant to be," he stated. "I'd..." he chewed his lip as his eyes dropped down to her bust; the v shaped collar showed just a hint of her cleavage , "I'd _love_ to know...exactly what it is about you that's makin' me so goddamn _hard_..."

* * *

Remy sat up straight, confused. For a moment, he couldn't understand what had happened. He'd been on the couch with Rogue one minute practically ready to seduce the poor girl, and the next, he was stretched out on his stomach across his bed in his basement room.

He leaned up, looking around in complete bewilderment. The light was still on, and he was _still dressed. _His hair was dry, he'd never even made it to the shower.

"Seriously..." he muttered, realising that he had _dreamed_ this. And that wasn't all. He realised the worst part was that he had dreamed a dream within a dream. How could that have even _happened?_ He rarely ever dreamed at all and now two dreams in one night? Or was it technically _one_ dream? It was completely baffling.

The door burst open, and Rogue was standing there, looking slightly flustered, her hair a mess, her eyes dark from makeup that hadn't quite been washed off completely the night before. Was this another dream? Was she here for more dream sex? This was getting confusing, he wasn't sure what was real and what _wasn't_ any more.

Momentarily he considered propositioning her, just to see if this was a dream or not, if he were about to wake up a third time. _Perhaps I've slipped into a coma and this is some kind of weird sex dream limbo I'll be in for the rest of my life,_ he thought as he stared at Rogue's frantic expression.

"Remy, it's six am," she gasped, her voice thick of the sound that said she'd _just _woken up.

"What?" he asked anxiously, he hopped up and reached for his phone, hitting the home button to check the time, it was five past six. They were _already _ meant to be at the obstacle course. "Fuck!" he yelled in disgrace with himself. "My alarm didn't even go off! Okay...uhm...we need to just...get out there, fast as we can, or Magneto is gonna be pissed. Just head straight to the course!"

"Ah need time to get changed!" she called over her shoulder as she ran off.

"Yeah...me too..." he realised, hoping that she hadn't noticed the damp patch on his jeans. It was something he definitely didn't want Rogue knowing about and he hoped she'd neglected to notice. After she'd left his room, he pushed the door shut, and leaned against it for a moment, shaking his head at himself.

He had the feeling that today was going to be tough.

* * *

Rogue was the last to arrive at the obstacle course; she'd had no time to really prepare herself, and so she arrived in a pair of black leggings and the same t-shirt and hooded top she had worn the day before. Her hair was far too messed up from the pillows to even sit right so she'd thrown it back into a messy ponytail and hoped that no one was going to give her grief about it, or the fact that she hadn't been able to remove all of her Kohl eyeliner the night before.

The training was already in full swing when she got there. Magneto looked at her disapprovingly as she ran up to the starting line. Pietro was standing there looking rather irritated; apparently he'd been made to wait until she'd arrived, because today she was being made to pair up with him.

"Ah'm so sorry," she apologised to Magneto, her cheeks hot with embarrassment and rage. "My alarm didn't even go off..."

Magneto glanced over to where Remy was standing, he was writing something in that small notebook he'd been keeping. She noticed as he looked up briefly and glanced towards her. Was it just her or were his cheeks slightly flushed this morning? He definitely didn't look as if he'd had enough sleep. "I've already heard that excuse, this morning," he said, irritably.

"Ah'm sorry..." Rogue chewed her lip. She wondered how it could be that she'd somehow managed to not set her alarm properly. And how Remy had experienced the exact same issue? It seemed quite likely it was just coincidence, but somehow, it felt _wrong._

"I'd like you and Pietro to be team-mates today. Please do this course _together_,"he stated, he looked towards his son, and spoke loudly, Rogue felt he was mentioning the word _together_ just for his benefit rather than hers.

Rogue's surprise – other than waking up late for the training session – was that Pietro and she worked rather well together when it was necessary. The rules this time around on the course were that there was no time limits, and they did not need to race, so they were able to take much more time getting to know the various niggles that before, had caught them and held them back. Rogue found it quite astonishing that having _more _time to notice things around her actually helped her get through the course faster than when she had thought she was meant to be racing through it.

"By the way," said Pietro, quite randomly as he was walking slowly across the same log that had caused him to fall into the muck below only the morning before, "thanks for, you know, taking the time to stop and help me out yesterday."

Rogue, who had been several feet behind him, balancing carefully, stopped and stared across at him, she could only see the back of his head, but she got the distinct impression that he wasn't making faces or being sarcastic.

"Ah...uhm..." she faltered.

"I know you didn't have to," he said, he hopped off at the end of the log and waited for her, "my sister sure didn't," he uttered coldly.

Rogue was genuinely surprised by his thanks, she got to the end of the log and hopped down, drew her breath and said, "Ah know you hate the X-Men..."

He gave a slight snort as they continued onwards.

"But..." she jogged behind him slightly, "we were _always_ taught to watch out for each other. And when you watch out for each other, you make it out of sticky situations a lot easier."

"Yeah, well, I don't need a lecture," Pietro responded, "I said thanks. That's it."

"Okay then," she responded somewhat awkwardly, as she followed onwards.

Their first run as a duo made it through in under twelve minutes. Their second, made it through in under ten, Remy announced, as the two came down the ending slide all muddy but slightly less worn out than they had been the morning before.

"You did way better, this run," said Remy casually, noting the numbers in his little notebook, "but it's getting predictable, you know what you're doing now, so you know how to get through it a lot faster. Tomorrow, it won't be the same. I'm going to change some shit around."

"Oh come _on,_" said Pietro, wiping mud from his forehead, "that's completely cheating."

"Cheating is knowing your way through an obstacle course and being able to predict everything that could go wrong," Remy pointed out. "The point of this crap is to keep you on your toes, and that's what it's going to do."

"Whatever."

"The good news is," said Remy tiredly, once everyone had gathered after their third runs (including his own with Piotr). Everyone was standing or sitting in the clearing, exhausted, muddy and sweaty and were waiting on further instructions. They'd been mumbling between themselves that they thought perhaps the duos would be mixed up now, or turned into trios. For today, it seemed that this would not be the case.

"Come on, man, out with it," Lance sighed.

"The good news is...that because it all went _really _well this morning, we don't have to keep repeating this crap until afternoon."

Magneto stepped beside Remy, he took the small note book and glanced over the numbers, "these times are looking quite positive. You are all doing much better than yesterday. Exceptionally. Do you understand now that working as a team is what helps you get through these situations much more quickly?"

No one responded, but neither did they complain.

"With some work, you will all begin to see that working together is the way forward to making your time with each other a success."

"Can we go yet?" Lance asked, he looked at his sports watch.

"Is there somewhere you must be?" Magneto demanded.

"Actually, yes. I have a date at ten."

"With pretty Kitty?" teased Pietro.

"Yes," fumed Lance, his cheeks going pink beneath the splatters of mud.

"Fine. You may all go and get showered and changed, and enjoy your Sunday."

Everyone went about leaving, including Magneto. Rogue, noted, however, that Remy was sticking around, and setting off to walk around the course. Curious, she headed after him.

"Are you going back in?" she asked curiously.

He looked over his shoulder at her, he seemed strangely uneasy this morning, she couldn't place what was wrong with him exactly, but the moment she'd walked in on him just as he'd woken up, he'd seemed rather flustered and irritable. "I have some stuff to adjust," he responded.

"Do you need some help?" she asked.

Remy stopped, he put his hand against the nearest tree after turning to face her. "Don't you have homework or coursework, or whatever it is you do at college?" he asked.

Rogue stopped abruptly too, and looked up at him, "Well...yeah..." she confessed, "but it's mostly just, you know...drama stuff. Lines to go over, that's it."

"Lines?" he asked, he raised an eyebrow.

"Did Ah not tell you they want me to be Juliet?" she asked.

Suddenly he looked quite stricken, "Juliet..." he repeated, "as in _Romeo_ and _Juliet_? That...play by Shakespeare..."

"Yeah," she answered, she moved a little closer, "we're doing it for this year's production."

"That's...interesting..." he said, his voice almost a whisper. Rogue ignored it, wondering if he were just being sarcastic.

"Everyone wanted Grease, so of course, our drama professor decides against everyone else and goes for Romeo and Juliet. It sucks..." she sighed.

"Why is that?" he asked as he began walking again.

"Ah'm not sure how...Ah'm gonna get around all the physical contact stuff. Romeo and Juliet is a _romance_, and there's supposed to be kissing, and touching...and..." she sighed, "well...Ah don't know how Ah'm gonna pull it off."

Remy walked with her slowly, his hands in the pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, "can I ask something?"

"Sure, Ah guess," she shrugged.

"Does...uhm...your drama Professor know about...what's...the deal with your powers?" he asked. Rogue thought it odd he used this wording, as she'd been almost positive he had been intending to say '_does he know what's _wrong_ with you?'. _

She put her hand on his arm and stopped him. "Thanks..." she said softly.

He looked down at her, tilting his head curiously, "for?"

"For not wording it the way everyone else does."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone would have said 'does he know what's wrong with you?'," she explained, "as if it..." she drew her breath, "As if it's some kind of stupid...contagious disease."

"It's not a disease..."

Rogue dropped her hand from his arm, she looked away from him, "Ah know that but...the normal people...they don't see it like that."

"Come on," he nodded his head in the direction he was heading.

She quickened her pace to keep up with him, he was a fast walker and he seemed to have a lot of plans in store for the course. He changed a lot of things around with her assistance. The hidden nets, he took up and moved into less than obvious places; he asked her to demonstrate that they worked by her deliberately stepping into them just to make sure she'd get caught and dragged up into the trees.

"There's a few other traps I'm gonna set up," Remy stated as he let her down from the final net trap, "but I'll do those when you head off. I don't want you knowing where all the stuff is and having the advantage," he explained.

"Oh, so you think Ah'd actually deliberately side step everything?" she asked, giving a soft laugh.

"I know you would," he admitted, "you tend to learn from your mistakes, I've noticed that."

"Oh?" she helped to scatter leaves and twigs over the net, "what else have you noticed about how I do things?"

"You're resourceful."

"Ah am?" she asked, slightly surprised by this revelation.

"I've watched you, sometimes Magneto has taken me up with him so I can watch you guys below and I've seen how you do things. You tend to use the things you see around you...twigs, or branches, bits of rope...anything lying around that could have another use. It's kinda impressive," he admitted.

Rogue blushed a little at the mention of this, "Ah didn't know you were watching."

"Magneto says it's the sign of a good leader...when you watch and _always _keep an eye on the people you're meant to be leading. That you should _always _be aware of who they are, how they work, and what they do."

"What else does Magneto say?" she asked casually.

"He says a lot of stuff," Remy shrugged, "but...I ain't gonna stand here and give an entire lecture about things he says, though. I can think of much better ways to waste a Sunday than repeating myself about him."

Rogue watched him as he kicked some more leaves over the net, "okay."

"Rogue..." he said, his voice serious, "why are you wastin' your time here with me when you could be enjoyin' today?"

"Ah'm enjoyin' this just fine," she confessed, "you told me Ah had to participate more, after all," she reminded.

His eyes searched hers, "I guess I did say that," he agreed.

"Besides, it'd take you twice as long to do all this stuff by yourself, and it's not fair that you get left to do it all."

"I didn't get left. It's my choice to change it around," he explained, "but thanks for the help."

Rogue smiled, "no problem."

"Listen, the rest of this shit can wait 'til later. How 'bout me and you go get some breakfast?"

"Breakfast..." she repeated.

"_Proper_ breakfast," he smirked, "not leftover Pizza and two-day old fried chicken. I'm talkn' actual, honest to god, HOT food with flavour."

"And where is this honest to god hot food going to be at?" she folded her arms.

"Well...there's this little diner, about six miles away. It has _the_ best blueberry banana pancakes I've had outside of Louisiana. Not to mention they make incredibly good coffee...like the stuff that's so strong you can smell it from a quarter of a mile off. You might like it, you never know."

Rogue scratched her head thoughtfully. The thought of going out for _real_ food, and not a pizza, was quite tempting. However...there were issues that she had to address. After all...didn't Remy mention he was seeing some girl? Would it be _right_ of her to go for another meal with him even though he was seeing someone?

"What about your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?" he made a face, seeming to be quite confused about the question, as if he'd never even considered 'girlfriend' to be a word. "Where did you get the idea I had a girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

"The one you've been sleepin' with?" she asked.

"Oh...her..." Remy repeated, his expression suddenly quite dull, "well. I thought I'd made that clear...that what I do with her, is just...a thing...that we do. It's casual. She's not mine, and I'm not hers, and we will _never_ be together in _that_ way. Anyway, what does it matter. Even if she _was _my girlfriend...I don't give a fuck. If I want to have breakfast with a friend, then that'd be none of her damn business anyway," he said.

"Ah see," Rogue responded, wondering how it could be that anyone could have a casual sexual relationship without any complications like this. In her opinion – which she didn't intend to voice to Remy – she felt that sooner or later it was likely to blow up in his face.

"So...goin' to breakfast with you isn't gonna mess anything up for me. And you'd certainly have nothin' to feel guilty about," he explained, "but...if you don't want to go..."

Rogue thought about it. Admittedly, she _did _want to go for breakfast. She hadn't eaten properly in the last week, and the thought of good food and decent coffee. "Okay," she agreed, "Ah'll go..." she said, "but-"

"But?"

"But Ah want you to do me a favour and run some lines with me for my drama class. So that Ah at least can say Ah didn't just goof around all weekend."

"I am makin' no such promise," he held up his hands, "we'll have breakfast, and see where it goes."

* * *

**End of Part Eleven**

* * *

**Thanks to everyone for their reviews (especially some of the lengthier ones, it's always interesting hearing people's thoughts on this! lol.**

**I do agree with some of you guys that Remy in this particular story is a little harder than he usually is (no pun intended after this part *blushes*) but his character just seems to keep turning out that way (I'm probably not the only fanfic writer who can sit and sometimes the story just starts to write itself as if someone is in my head dictating as I type, lmao).**

**Hope you all enjoyed this part (and the brief Romy-ness of it), lol. 3**


	12. MagneticAttractionPart12

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**PART TWELVE**

* * *

"Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords. Look thou but sweet, and I am proof against their enmity," Remy read idly from the script Rogue had propped against the menu holder of their window table at the Bayview Diner just eight miles outside of Bayville. He sighed, "I have absolutely _no_ idea what the hell I just said."

"Does it matter?"

"Do I actually need to sound like I know what I'm talking about?" Remy asked. "Can you actually act to this?" He had an odd feeling in his dream he'd spoken similar lines, but at that point, he'd been almost sure he'd known what he'd been talking about then, and Rogue had _definitely _understood them too.

"What you're saying here..." Rogue explained, she had one of the small pencils Remy had grabbed handfuls of at Ikea on Sunday morning; she was gently pointing it towards the section of the script, "one mad look from Juliet would be worse than bein' run through with twenty swords by her crazy family. But one _loving _look from her...well...it says that it's worth it, that if she looks at him _that _way, then...he feels invincible..."

"I see," he responded. "Okay, so..." he gestured to her.

Trying to hide her thick accent as best she could, she sighed, "I would not for the world they saw thee here."

Remy tilted his head, watching her. He thought she was rather good considering how thick her accent and how husky her voice usually was. She sounded so different, much like she'd sounded in his dream.

She leaned forward a little to whisper the explanation, "she'd do anything if it'd stop her family from knowing Romeo was there."

"Ohh," he nodded, "okay..." he dug his fork into his blueberry and banana pancake stack and took a bite. "I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes, and but thou love me, let them find me here. My life were better ended by their hate, than death prorogued, wanting of thy love," he read off, mouth still full of pancake.

Rogue laughed at this, "that was the worst reading of that line Ah have _ever_ heard..."

"I think I get this line," Remy admitted, gesturing to it with his fork, "something about hiding in the dark, but if she doesn't love him, he should just let her family find them there and kill them, because he'd rather be dead if he doesn't have her love."

"Pretty much," Rogue nodded, she took a bite of her own food.

"I know Shakespeare is supposedly...you know...the shit and all that. But...no one falls in love _that _fast."

"Sure they do. It happens all the time."

"Maybe in movies and on television," Remy shrugged, "in real life though, it just doesn't happen like that."

Rogue stared across at him, "so you've never felt that?"

"Can't say I have," he shrugged. "Fallin' in love is just...you know, akin to the way a crazy fan follows around a rock star, that need to be liked, and noticed. It's desperation, not passion."

"What about romance?" she asked casually. "You date a lot, so surely you've had your share of it."

"Romance is all fine and dandy, but if I talkin' smooth like this Romeo guy, it's generally to get a girl to...y'know..."

"Fuck you," Rogue replied, rather crudely for him.

Remy couldn't explain why he didn't like this word coming from Rogue. It didn't sound right coming from her mouth. "To...give in," he worded a little more appropriately for her.

"Ah know what you meant," Rogue chewed her food slowly. "What you meant is to get a girl to blow you, fuck you, ride you like a horse and put you back in the stable wet," she remarked even more crudely.

He'd been having a hard time keeping his mind away from sex during their time together today, but now it was damn impossible. Did she have to be so...graphic? Her description made him flush, although he hoped his tan was deep enough to hide it, and he had to slyly reach beneath the table to pull on the crotch of his jeans to allow himself a little more room.

"Well...Yeah, but you don't have to be so crass about it."

She gave an odd laugh, "seriously? My talking like _this_ is crass compared to the stuff you've done in your life?"

"You shouldn't be so graphic. It's such a turn off," he admitted uncomfortably.

"Oh, Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't know Ah was turnin' you off," she rolled her eyes.

_Opposite, actually,_ he thought, waiting until she'd taken her eyes away from him before he glanced down to his crotch to check how noticeable his problem was. He adjusted the hem of his sweatshirt to hide it, should it become more obvious.

"Are we going to continue with this or what?" she gestured to the script.

"I think I'm done," Remy admitted. He didn't want to speak these lines any more, they were bringing back too many – albeit pleasant – memories of his dream about Rogue, and he didn't need that discomfort right now. "I'm not really good at all this running lines stuff. You know who _would _be good at this? Piotr. He's trying to get better at English, he'd probably love to run this shit with you. Plus he loves all that poetry and artsy fartsy crap."

Rogue sighed and picked the book up and closed it, she slipped it back into her bag, "Ah'm not sure he'd understand it, to be honest. Sometimes Ah talk to him and Ah swear he doesn't understand a word Ah say. He just stares at me like Bambi."

"He understands better than you think," Remy shrugged, "he gets words mixed up a lot though. The first time I met him, he asked me if I would like to try some American cock."

Rogue had been in the middle of taking a sip of her coffee, and she suddenly choked, spluttering a few drops on the table accidentally. Coughing, she put the cup down, "excuse me?"

"He meant coke. He wanted to know if I wanted to try some of the Pepsi he had bought. He thought it was called Cock...he asked me if wanted to try his American cock."

"You're a good lookin' guy, Gambit, Ah'm sure that's not the first time some guy has offered you that," Rogue smirked wryly.

"Har har," Remy stuck his tongue out at her. "Anyway, I declined, but I said 'surely it's Russian', and he said..." Remy cleared his throat, then feigned an impossibly thick yet impressive Russian accent, "'_No, is definitely American Cock, it just _came_ that way'."_

Rogue began laughing, first in chuckles that were stifled against her fist, and then full blown laughter that Remy joined in with. Remy hated that when he found something hilarious, his 'real' laugh always escaped. Normally, he tried to use his practised, charming, almost quiet laugh, especially in the company of women. But when he couldn't contain his laughter, when something was just that funny, it became an almost goofy, gasping, near hysterical sounding laugh that seemed to make it harder for Rogue to keep from laughing.

It took a few moments for their laughter to die down, brief moments they would calm down, only to start uncontrollably laughing again. The diner staff glanced over at them curiously, trying to make sense of what exactly was so funny that they were making so much noise.

It was surely the funniest thing Rogue had heard in a good while, and while perhaps not many people would probably find this particular story, he could tell she found it hilarious, especially his impersonation of Piotr, which had nearly been spot on (which he'd had to repeat, just to appease her).

"Does he mess up words like that a lot?" Rogue asked, after their laughter finally died down, and they had managed to catch their breaths again.

"One time he asked me to go with him to _Vagina _to pick up some of his old paintings from a place he rented," Remy remembered fondly.

She coughed a little, "Virginia, right?"

"Yeah. Let me tell you, when we got to Virginia and found it wasn't called Vagina, I was very sorely disappointed. I thought it was maybe one of those stupid little towns I'd never heard of that just happened to have a stupid name..."

"You ever found other towns like that?" Rogue asked.

"Once while driving through Tennessee, I found a place called Sweet Lips. That was so awesome," Remy chuckled, "I went to the UK a few years ago to do some...you know, _grifting,_ and I came across quite a few really weird places. They have the most _fucked up _names for places over there. I found a place called Wetwang one day, and another day I found a place called Titty Hill."

"Sounds rather kinky for a supposedly dreary country."

"The sad truth is, I didn't see a single titty in Titty Hill," Remy stated, feigning a rather disappointed expression. "In fact, I didn't see a single titty until I got to London. I did find quite a few Hookers in Hookersville in West Virginia while we were there getting Pete's paintings, though. He even sketched one of the hookers we met. He has that picture on his wall, you should check it out some time."

Rogue smirked, "okay."

"You ever found any interesting places in your travels?" Remy asked.

"Ah once went on a class trip to Kentucky and we stopped in for lunch in a place called Disappointment."

"Was it half as disappointing as it sounds?"

"It was okay. It wasn't spectacular. We only stopped for sandwiches. The _sandwiches _lived up to the town name."

"Ever been to Whiskey Dick mountain?" Remy asked casually, taking another bite of his pancakes.

"Uh...no."

"Great, I'll pick up a bottle of Southern Comfort on the way home, we see what happens when we get there..." he cracked a smile.

"Haha, very funny," she crumpled up a napkin and tossed it across the table at him.

Remy smirked at her, but soon this smile dropped as he thought back to his dream. In his mind he could _see _her, naked, writhing on top of him, her eyes closed, mouth quivering as she moaned. "Just out of curiosity, since the subject of sex has been brought up," he began, he ran his finger idly around the rim of his coffee cup, "if things were different with your powers. Would you have _ever..._you know, with me?"

He was almost positive he _didn't_ need to ask this question, and he chided himself for bringing it up when he was already so aroused. _Just keep throwin' charcoal in that fire, huh?_ He thought at himself in disgrace.

"Are you askin' me if Ah would..."

"You know, just a casual fling. I'm not talkin' 'bout anything serious," he said lazily, trying to sound as if the conversation were more casual than speaking of pancakes or coffee.

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "You wish."

He wondered if he _did_ wish it. It'd be an interesting experience, perhaps, to see if in real life she could live up to the expectations set by the dream of her.

"You totally would," Remy stated quite confidently, "you act like you wouldn't touch me with a ten foot barge pole, but if given the opportunity you'd be ridin' me like a mechanical bull and paintin' my toenails black."

Her green eyes stared blankly over at him, "Paintin' your...toenails?" she asked, her expression was growing slightly concerned. She thought he was mad, and he supposed he couldn't blame her. He realised he must have sounded completely cuckoo at this point.

"Don't ask," he shook his head, smiling to himself. He momentarily thought about telling her about the dreams he'd had about her, but he was sure it would make her extremely uncomfortable and right now, it seemed like she was just beginning to settle a little and relax around him. He could always tell her much later, he supposed, when she was more comfortable around him, and likely to accept such a subject being brought up casually.

"Can _Ah _ask a question?" Rogue asked of him, she took a brief sip of her coffee.

"You can ask me _anythin'_ you want," he assured rather smugly.

"How come it was just you and me who had the issue with the alarms not goin' off this morning?"

Remy paused to think about this. He had to admit, the question had crossed his mind too. "It _was _just us, wasn't it? I know everyone else had their alarms go off, and they had no problems gettin' up. I set my alarm to go off at five am. I set it before I sat down on the bed last night, I know I dozed off accidentally without even gettin' into the bed, but the alarm still would have gone off regardless."

"See, that's just it," said Rogue, "Ah know Ah set my alarm before Ah went to bed too. Ah always do that before Ah lie down. Yet...it didn't go off, and when Ah looked at my phone this morning, the alarm setting wasn't even _on _my phone any more. The saved alarm I always use had been completely deleted."

Remy chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, then he reached into the inside pocket of his trench coat, pulled out his iPhone, and selected the clock application. He checked his alarm settings and frowned. His was the same. It hadn't just been deactivated...it had been deleted entirely. There were no presets there at all any more.

Someone was definitely playing games with them. But which someone? Pietro? Lance? It seemed unlikely that either of them would even make that much _effort_ to be annoying. Tabitha was unlikely to do it, as was Piotr. Then there was Wanda...

_Would Wanda do that to me and Rogue? _Remy pondered. He wondered if she would even have a _reason _to do such a malicious thing. _Probably. She does like messing with me, after all. She used to delete all the phone numbers in my phone to piss me off, and that was _before_ we even started sleeping together._

He was aware that Rogue was watching him, and he brought himself out of his thoughts, "someone is messing with us."

"Who?"

"I don't know. It's probably just a joke...just a stupid mean joke, that's all. Someone clearly wanted Magneto all pissed off at us this morning...and it worked apparently. Don't take it too seriously and don't ask anyone questions about it back at home. All it's likely to do is start arguments or let whoever did it _know_ that they're getting to you and they'll keep doing it. Whoever did it will eventually slip up somewhere. We can kick their asses when they do. Until then, just play innocent."

"Okay," Rogue agreed, she sipped her coffee.

He watched her, thinking of those lips on his in that dream. Every time he thought of it the throbbing beneath his jeans would become quite intense. It was getting so incredibly uncomfortable with it that he thought of excusing himself to go to the bathroom just so he could alleviate the problem. _It'd only take about five or so minutes...I could always make up some excuse that I'd taken so long because my stomach was upset. She wouldn't ask questions._

"Why do you keep lookin' at me like that?" she asked nervously.

"Just thinkin'. It's been nice havin' you on the team with us," he lied quite well. "So...I know it's already been quite a stressful few days, but is there any chance you feel like sparring when we get back home?"

"Maybe," she shrugged. "We'll see. Ah do have a lot of stuff to read for class tomorrow."

Remy thought of how it would feel to spar with her once again, the intense energy, the being so close to her that he could deliberately find a hundred different ways to pin her and lock her down and claim it was all in the name of mixed martial arts. _Maybe it's not a good idea,_ he thought dully as he stared out of the window. A familiar car was pulling up outside. A jeep. Lance Alvers' jeep.

"Oh great," Remy uttered.

"Huh?" Rogue turned to stare out of the window, seeing Lance Alvers and Kitty Pryde hopping out of the car, them reaching for each others hand as they walked towards the diner.

Upon their entry, they both seemed genuinely surprised to see Rogue and Remy there. Kitty's wide blue eyes were curious as she and Lance strode to their table, and she was the first to speak.

"Rogue...wow...hi."

"Hi," Rogue said; Remy could read her reaction a book, he heard the nervous tone in her voice and realised that she felt studied by her friend, Kitty was trying to sum up what exactly was going on here in this diner. "This isn't a date," Rogue blurted.

"Isn't it?" Remy asked aloud, gazing across at Rogue. He noted her immediate dismay and wished he hadn't joked; although there was a flash of anger in those pretty green eyes of hers, there was also an obvious tender sadness that his words had touched unintentionally, "and here I was pourin' my heart out to you about twenty swords and wanting thy love," he tried to lighten the moment.

Rogue kicked him hard beneath the table, shooting him an angry look, then she turned to look at the petite young brunette. "We were rehearsing Romeo and Juliet," she explained, she threw Remy one very brief look of warning. He decided not to mess with it, and keep his mouth shut for the moment.

"Yeah, I heard you got the starring role," Kitty admitted.

Lance was standing looking bored, his fingers twined with Kitty Pryde's. Remy saw Rogue's eyes fall on their hands, and knew she was wondering what something that simple might feel like.

"Ah may still step down. Ah know this other girl in the class wants to play Juliet...and she'd be better at it. At least she can actually _act_ the scenes out."

Remy felt a pang of sympathy for Rogue. This must have been torture for her; something so simple as a kiss or a touch was impossible. He certainly couldn't blame her for coming to Magneto for help.

_Maybe I should just give up on the idea of trying to stop her,_ Remy thought unhappily as he listened to Rogue and Kitty talk between each other about training, and how their friends were. When each friend was mentioned, Remy saw Rogue look more and more distant, her expression growing more and more sad.

Remy hadn't given the situation much thought before; it hadn't affected him. Taking money from Wolverine to talk her out of participating in a treatment that could potentially make things much worse for her had seemed fine at first. Now...he had to question whether it would be a mistake to try to talk her out of this.

_For all I know, Magneto has perfected this idea...for all I know she _could _come out of this with what she wants. She could have the things she always wanted...who am I to stand in the way of that?_ Remy wondered as listened in and out of the conversation Rogue and Kitty were having.

Lance was the one to rudely interrupt the discussion, clearly feeling that he and Kitty had been standing there long enough, "this has been fun, but like...we're on a date, so...later."

Kitty gave Rogue and Remy a vague apologetic look and then followed Lance to a back table where they would be out of earshot. When they'd gone, Rogue gave a deep sigh and she stared down at the table, her eyes full of woe.

"You okay?" Remy asked, he reached right hand across the table towards her left, but stopped immediately when he realised she was bare handed. He wondered what something like putting his hand upon hers was _really_ going to do to make her feel better anyway. It would probably only make things worse in the long run.

"Yes, Ah'm fine..." she picked up her fork again, but pushed the remaining pieces of her pancakes around miserably. Remy watched her eyes shift to across the diner and he had to crane his neck to see exactly what it was that had suddenly caught her attention and made her face seem pale and hard. In the back booth where Kitty and Lance were half out of view, they were kissing across their table, oblivious to the world around them.

Remy turned back to look at Rogue, her expression was so clouded with hurt that he felt a churning deep in his stomach. Somehow it was _that_ look on her face that made his arousal subside. He read her eyes and they said to him at that moment, even if it were shared with Lance Alvers, whom she had no real interest or liking for, she would have given anything to know what it felt like to be in that embrace.

"Can..." Rogue swallowed, suddenly averting her eyes, "can we get out of here?"

"Whatever you want, chere."

* * *

Rogue asked Remy to be the one to drive the car on the way back home towards the warehouse; rain patted against the windows hard, the windshield wipers frantically went to and fro to sweep it away from the glass. Rogue had her head pressed against the cold glass of the passengers seat window, staring out at the trees stretching across the side of the road.

Every now and then she'd glance towards Remy, watching as he lazily held the wheel, slouched in the driver's seat, his eyes seemed almost unfocused on the road ahead. She examined the profile of his face, drinking in the almost delicate features such as his slim nose, and slightly pouting lips, his dark, unnaturally perfect eyebrows, and his straight jaw. Some might say, he was a beautiful boy. Even with those unnatural black and red eyes of his, he was beautiful.

Had he been _human _and _only _human, then perhaps, he could have had a modelling career, or gone into acting. Despite his lazy drawl in the diner as he'd run the lines with her, she knew he was certainly capable of putting on a performance at times. He was a _natural,_ it was what made him so good at the things he did sometimes.

Yes. Remy LeBeau would have likely become an actor, she decided.

"You ever wonder what you would have been if you weren't a mutant?" Rogue asked casually as she hugged herself against the cold in the car. The heater wasn't working and just blew chilly air from the dash; to keep the windows from steaming up, Remy had the driver's side window open an inch. The heater was just another thing he had promised to fix.

Remy glanced at her briefly, his expression conflicted. "I...I can't say I ever have. I knew what I was since I was a young one, so..." he trailed off, "I never really had any cause to think of it."

"So you've never took the time and just asked 'what if'?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "You?"

"All the time," Rogue replied, "There's lots of things Ah'd love to do. If Ah were human."

"You _are_ human. You're just a human with powers," Remy reminded.

"Now you sound like the Professor," Rogue mumbled.

"And you're sounding like Magneto. The only thing seperatin' us from everyone else is just..." he searched for the right words, but Rogue finished the sentence for him.

"I know, I know, a genetic quirk."

"Exactly."

"Come on, Remy. There must be _something _you wanted to be before you decided to become...this."

Remy snorted, "you think I _chose_ this life? Chere, this life chose me. Doesn't matter what path we take in life, the path leads us to where we're meant to be."

"So you believe in fate?"

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Sometimes I believe in it, and sometimes I think we make our own fate. My fate has always seemed to be tied to here. Doesn't matter how many times I leave Bayville...I always seem to somehow end up back here."

"You hate it here, don't you?"

"I used to," Remy shrugged, "it certainly doesn't have the charm or noise and the lively atmosphere of New Orleans, or the colourful people from the swamps. But it's growing on me...you know...the way that mold grows on a damp wall."

Rogue chuckled, "yeah, well, in that damp basement room, you better watch that the mold doesn't start growing on _you."_

_ "_The thing I don't like 'bout Bayville..." Remy shifted into fourth gear, "is that...it's so...how do I put this..." he frowned, "it's like that ideal...the Norman Rockwell paintings, the pictures on the postcards...the photos on the magazines of the American ideal. It's quiet, it's sleepy, it's not a very exciting place to be."

"Hey, we have a nightclub now, maybe that'll liven things up a bit," Rogue smirked.

"For me, maybe," Remy responded, "you got three more years to go until you can enjoy that though."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Ah have to admit, Ah wasn't too keen on Bayville at first either, but you do get used to it, and the quiet. And just when you think you're beginnin' to like the quiet, that's when things go crazy here."

"I'm surprised that nothin's went crazy already," said Remy thoughtfully. He slowed the car at a red light, and glanced over to Rogue, "it's been _too_ quiet here lately."

"Ah agree," she adjusted the front of her t-shirt; being caught in the rain as they'd walked to the car had quickly soaked through her clothes and left her shirt clinging to her. She was aware of Remy glancing at her every now and then to see her doing this.

"You really should buy some new clothes. You've been with us a week and I've seen you wear that damn t-shirt four times. You didn't bring very much with you," Remy noted.

"Ah don't have much. Ah'm like you, LeBeau. Ah travel light."

"You shouldn't need to travel light, any more, chere. You got a home with us. Buy some new clothes, live a little."

"Maybe when Ah get some money together."

"Remy will buy you clothes. A whole new wardrobe."

"You're _that_ desperate to waste money?"

"That desperate to see you stop wearin' that same damn t-shirt," Remy responded. "Why you never wear nice things?"

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Like, low cut? Lately you wear such frumpy stuff...you hide your body and you don't need to. You got a nice build, and great tits."

Rogue gaped at him, "How would you-?"

"I'm guessing," he responded, but there was a suspicious look just beneath that made Rogue ponder if perhaps he'd been spying on her somehow when she was getting undressed. "Look all I'm sayin' is...you have a nice body, and you should...dress like you do."

"What? You mean like the way _Wanda_ dresses?" Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Wanda dresses a little too...uhm..." he thought about how he was going to word this, "well...like a dominatrix."

"And here Ah was thinkin' you liked that."

"Sure, I mean, it's nice seein' a bit of cleavage and leg..."

"That ain't all you see when the girl comes out wearin' those short skirts. Ah swear that girl doesn't wear panties..." Rogue shook her head in disgrace. She was almost positive of the fact. Wanda had been wearing a short skirt only the other day and had crossed one leg over the other while sitting in the mess hall.

Remy began laughing at this, he knew it to be quite true sometimes. It certainly had been the case yesterday. "You know..." he began, "She has a piercing," he admitted.

"Yeah, on her bellybutton, Ah saw," Rogue replied.

"No, I mean._..a piercing,_" he said pointedly.

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "a piercing..." she repeated. "Where?"

_ "_Do I need to spell it out for you?" Remy asked, rolling his eyes, "a _piercing,_" he said again, making much more emphasis on it.

_ "W_here?"

"Where do you _think_?"

"Her...?"

"Yes," Remy nodded.

"Why would anyone go through _that_ kind of pain..." Rogue trembled a little with disgust.

"Heightens the pleasure whilst fucking," Remy responded rather casually.

Rogue didn't have any comment to make about this, she was certainly convinced it was something she wouldn't know any time soon at least. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, and she turned to look at him, "Wait...how do you know?"

"Huh?"

"How did you know about the piercing?"

Remy paused, and it was suspicious to her that he had to take the _time_ to think about his answer. Had he been spying on the girl? After a moment, he finally replied with, "you said it yourself, she doesn't wear panties."

"You were _looking_?" she asked.

"Look, let me explain something to you about guys," Remy began, "We're all pigs. If there's even the remotest chance we're going to see female nudity of any form, especially on a good lookin' girl, then there's no chance we're gonna pass it up."

"Okay..." Rogue said, unsure.

"If a girl ain't gonna wear panties and sit there wearin' a short skirt, has a piercing that is practically glitterin' in the light and she didn't even bother to cross her legs when she sat down, then a guy ain't gonna feel guilty about throwin' a glance or two."

Rogue made a face, feeling a little sickened by the thought.

"It's like a car accident...you just...can't look away," he explained. "it's just...human nature. And it's not just a gender thing. I mean...if some guy just comes out displaying everything, can you keep looking away? If I walked into the room, dick out, you think for one minute you would be able to _not_ look?"

"Don't be getting any ideas, LeBeau. I don't remotely want to see what's hanging between your legs," Rogue warned, trying to sound far more confident about speaking of these things than she actually was.

"It doesn't _hang_," Remy remarked, a rather smug look stretching his mouth.

"Oh, Ah see, it's not that big then. Oh well, you're not the only guy in the world with that whole micro-penis issue," Rogue smirked, feeling rather pleased with herself making the joke.

"Hey, that wasn't what I meant," Remy responded quickly, his cheeks flushing just a little, "What I mean is that it stands-"

"Ah don't want to know what you mean," Rogue warned.

"I ain't _never _had a complaint about my size. Ever. And I'll have you know-"

"Remy...Ah really don't need to hear about your dick."

"Fine," he gave up, shrugging casually.

The rest of the drive continued in silence, Rogue noticed though as Remy quite slyly tried to adjust himself twice during the last leg of the journey. She supposed he was right. It was only human nature to look. Had he always had a bulge like that in his pants or was it just the way the fabric of his jeans was sitting?

No, that bulge was definitely solid, and judging by the way he threw the edge of his trench coat over it when he thought she wasn't looking, it wasn't something he particularly wanted her to see either.

She stifled a smile against her fist as she turned to look out of the passengers side window, realising what this was. She tried to stop from laughing, but she had very little success.

"What?" Remy asked, his eyes flashing in her direction briefly before turning back to the road.

"Nothin'," she shook her head. "Just...thinkin' about that whole thing with Piotr and the pepsi."

"Mind if I have a cigarette?" he asked, he took a long, deep breath and sighed it out again.

"No problem."

"Open your window a little more, at least you won't get completely suffocated," he instructed as he stopped at a red light.

Rogue pushed against handle of the window mechanism, and it – as it rarely ever did – barely budged. "It's a little stiff..."

Remy turned to look at her, his mouth falling open a little, he _almost _looked shocked. Rogue hadn't realised what she'd said at first, and then she suddenly caught on that he'd taken it more literally.

"The window..." she demonstrated by pushing against the handle, which wouldn't budge any further down than a centimetre.

"Oh," Remy replied, looking almost relieved, he leaned over her and tried pushing on the handle; he seemed to be having about as much issue with it as she had, despite he was obviously much stronger than her.

With his shoulder slightly braced into her breast, Rogue sat up straight wincing at the vague pain this left her in. The window budged a little more as he put all his weight into it, and then opened an inch as he slipped and fell across her lap awkwardly. He twisted himself to look up at her.

"Never been in this position in a car before," he confessed. "Usually the other way around, actually..."

"Remy, the lights..." Rogue nudged him.

Remy leaned up, his face almost touching hers; he turned to look at her briefly, and for those few seconds, Rogue almost felt that strange hypnotic pull that she'd had only once looking into them.

"The lights..." she said again, her voice barely a squeak, which made her feel immediately foolish.

"Oh...yeah..." he said, getting back in his seat properly, the car had stalled, and it took several attempts at trying the ignition before it would start once again.

"Let me guess," said Rogue, "you're going to fix that."

"Yeah..." he said, his jaw clenched. "I promise."

* * *

**End of Part Twelve**

* * *

**Thanks to those who took the time to review over the past few chapters. It's always nice hearing from you guys.**

**I am quite distressed to learn that the reader known only at this point as "guest" feels that part ten depicted Remy as being raped by Wanda. That was never the intention of the chapter at all and I apologize if it even remotely came off this way as that was absolutely never meant (which is why I didn't feel it necessary to make any warnings about triggers). Certainly, he let Wanda use him, and he never at any point feels particularly like he's been a victim to assault. He was good enough to fight her off when they were in the field in an earlier chapter, and if he felt at any point particularly threatened then he _would_ fight her off. In this case, he was just too lazy to do so. **


	13. MagneticAttractionPart13

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirteen**

* * *

**AUTHOR NOTE: I want to make it clear that this chapter is going to be slightly more graphic than the previous ones so if any kind of scenes of a sexual nature disgust, or offend, you can always scroll down a few pages to avoid hopefully what you don't want to read. I'd also like to add a slight trigger warning for this chapter considering that previously a chapter was likened to simulating a rape situation. This chapter could be taken this way as the act is somewhat...rough (although I ensure, everything here is absolutely consenting). **

* * *

Remy rarely ever found himself having or even wanting to look for Wanda, but today was the exception. He travelled over nearly every room in the warehouse before eventually finding her in the new laundry room, which Magneto had only finished setting up this morning. It was a dingy, dark little room with a single light bulb and just enough room for two large washing machines and one dryer, leaving a few feet of space between them and the wall.

Wanda was standing leaning over the top of one of the machines, waiting on a load that was apparently in the one to her left. She was flicking through a magazine idly, and had not seemed to have noticed him coming up behind her.

Remy moved swiftly to close the space between her backside and his groin. He put his arms around her waist to pull her against him so she could feel he was excited beneath his jeans.

Wanda leaned back into him, "oh," she said, a soft little gasp escaping her mouth, "there you are."

"Mmmhmm," he breathed in the smell of her musky perfume, and ground his hips a little against her.

"Where have you been?" she craned her neck a little to look at him out of the corners of her eyes.

He gave her no response, and simply went about reaching down to pull her skirt up. Much to his amusement, she'd worn panties today. Lacy white ones. "White panties, huh? You in a _virginal_ mood today?" he skimmed his index finger against delicate white lace.

"You like that?" she chuckled.

"Maybe."

"I came lookin' for you earlier...but you weren't around," Wanda tried again, she reached her arm behind her so she could bury his hand into his hair and hold onto it as he kissed his way up her bare shoulder. "Piotr said he saw you leaving with Rogue."

"Shut up..." he commanded, sick of this jealous attitude she seemed to have whenever he spent time with Rogue. Momentarily he considered asking her what it mattered if he _had _been with Rogue. This was casual sex, not a romantic partnership so why should he have to answer to her? Besides, it wasn't as if there'd been anything actually going on. If he and Wanda _had _been in a relationship, he'd still been one-hundred percent faithful all the while.

_I don't need to answer to her,_ he reminded himself. Hoping that she'd drop the subject entirely, he breathed hotly in her ear, "I'm going to fuck you so hard...right here..." as he pushed Wanda forwards and bent her over the nearby washing machine which was juddering with the effort of washing clothes. Wanda gave a little gasp as he swiftly tore her panties off, and she looked over her pale bare shoulder at him. She was slightly alarmed and he realised at once it was that up until now, she'd _always_ been the one to say when and where.

_I'm sick of that game,_ thought Remy as he took her roughly from behind, making sure to do it so that perhaps it hurt a little more than he normally would have allowed for.

She moaned, slightly taken aback by this, but let him do as he wished and took every command as he moved her and twisted her in every position he could think of taking her in while she clung onto the washing machine which was shaking violently on its spin cycle. He leaned forward to coldly mutter dirty things near her ear despite he never usually spoke during sex; it'd always seemed to him that it wasn't warranted, that body language and actions spoke louder than voices in those situations. He had no clue where the things he said had come from, or why he'd had to say them at that moment, only that he couldn't stop those words spilling from his lips.

When he told her he wanted to drive himself so deeply into her that she'd hurt for days, her moans became louder, and when he told her he thought she was a dirty bitch who had used him far too much and it was _his _turn, she actually began to climax; his was soon to follow but he was adept enough to withdraw before he could spill his seed, having forgot to don a condom in the heat of the moment. He forced her to her knees and muttered coldly "you know what to do."

As she finished him off, he leaned back against the machine which had now finished its cycle. The words _wrong, wrong, wrong_ seemed to flash before his closed eyes in white hot burning letters as the release came, and the immediate disgust with himself followed. He relaxed his breathing, slow, deep, deliberate breaths to help bring his dangerously thudding heartbeat down to its normal tempo. He felt the exhaustion almost immediately settling in, the tension he'd been feeling since this morning released and the muscles in his neck became loose and no longer slightly painful as they had been since breakfast.

"I've been thinking about that all day," said Wanda afterwards, she was still kneeling on the floor, looking up at him with satisfied eyes. She ran the back of her index finger across her lips to remove any tiny evidence of his passion. He wondered if she even _cared_ about safe sex; she certainly hadn't insisted on it.

While he buttoned up his fly and fixed his belt he was quite aware Wanda was watching his every move with something of a crazed expression of awe and bliss. Whether or not _he _felt disgusted with himself, she definitely didn't share that feeling. He'd never seen her look so genuinely pleased with herself, and him.

Remy momentarily considered what he might say to her now. He thought briefly of telling her that this was it, he _didn't_ want to do this any more. She'd been using him for weeks to sate her lust, and he supposed in his desperation for human touch following these near constant states of arousal, now he'd used her too. In a strange way, they _should_ have been even.

He should have told her then and there that he was done with her. He should have said that he was sick of casual sex with her, that they'd had their fun but it was over, that he had far too much to focus on and too little free time as it was.

_This needs to end and you need to make it clear to her, _he thought dully as he watched her pick up her torn panties and examine the damage he'd left upon them, a little satisfied smile playing about her lips. He felt sick to his stomach thinking of the violent way he'd torn them off, of the way he'd just pushed her over the machine and took her without even waiting to see if she was ready for him (although past experience had taught him she _always_ seemed ready for sex regardless of the time or day or lack of foreplay).

He didn't like what he'd done at all. The way he'd spoken and acted to her. It felt too dangerously close to a person he didn't want to be. He wanted to tell her about this; it didn't matter how consensual it'd been, or how encouraging she'd been about it...he didn't like _that_ kind of rough play quite the way she did. It made him feel villainous, evil...not himself.

He should have told her it all, and tried to be straight and honest with her. Instead, he opted for the easier option, which was to not say a word about any the things going on his head. He may have been close enough with her to have sex, but certainly not to feel comfortable telling her these personal things. They weren't friends after all...he wasn't even sure he _liked_ her as a person.

"You on the contraceptive pill?" he asked as he took his cigarette packet from his pocket and went about lighting one casually. He certainly _hoped_ she was on the pill. It seemed like something that would be necessary considering how much sex she liked to have on a daily basis. He supposed he should have asked the first time around instead of it being asked _now_ several weeks later.

_Just another example of how extremely fucked up it is that you just accept sex without even thinking of the consequences, _he thought angrily with himself.

Wanda looked at him, her face slightly dark as she responded. "No."

"Then you need to get your ass to the drug store and get the morning after pill."

"Jesus, relax. You didn't even-" she began, but he interrupted.

"I know I didn't," he shot quickly, "but it doesn't always work like that. Doesn't matter how fast you pull out, somethin' always has a chance of gettin' through. So you need to do what you can to prevent that from happening."

"I'm not going to get pregnant, Remy."

"Yeah, well, better safe than sorry. Get your coat; we're gonna drive to town to the all night place and get it now. I'm not taking any chances."

It seemed to him, he'd already taken a pretty large one already.

* * *

Rogue had reading – and trying to memorise – the lines from her Romeo and Juliet script for the rest of the day. There had been little else to spend her Sunday on, and she needed to be prepared for drama class for tomorrow morning after all. A knock at her door disturbed her and so she straightened herself up a little from where she'd been lying on the bed, and said "come in," clearly enough that whomever was there would have heard.

The door opened slowly, and Magneto stepped in; his cool handsome eyes drank in the room, and for one moment she thought he might be impressed with how nice things looked in here compared to most of the other rooms in the place.

Of all the people to come to her room, she wouldn't not have expected it to be Magneto. Normally, when he wanted to speak to anyone, he was the one to summon them to _his._ She straightened up even more, and moved her legs off of the bed.

"I would like to speak, if you have a free moment," Magneto explained.

Rogue gestured for him to come sit upon the bed; the idea of this left her feeling very uneasy. In all her time knowing the man, having him sitting at the bottom of her bed simply to chat seemed so incredibly surreal. Nevertheless, there he was, taking a seat.

He picked up the script she'd put down beside her, and he read the title. "Romeo and Juliet," his voice was soft.

"Ah study drama," Rogue explained, her cheeks flushing. She wondered if Magneto had already been told of what classes she took; she felt foolish for mentioning it. "This is the play for this Semester."

"Are you starring?" Magneto asked, turning the pages to look through the book.

"Ah'm the female lead...which kind of sucks for...you know, obvious reasons," Rogue confessed, her cheeks hot still.

"Yes...I understand," Magneto nodded.

"So...you wanted to talk?" Rogue asked, she chewed the inside of her cheek nervously, "have you begun working on the plans for my evolution?"

Magneto replied with a quote from the play, "Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast".

Rogue realised he was telling her that she needed to be patient, she gave a sigh and looked down at her covers, she absently picked at one of the decorative sequins.

"Tomorrow I would like you to come see me, I would like to spend one-on-one time with you to work on your powers with you, to determine whether or not the reason your powers are still uncontrollable is simply from the wrong kind of training. I would like you to be very sure before we go ahead with this evolution, that it _is _your last option."

"Ah'm already sure," Rogue stated coolly.

Magneto studied her face, their eyes locked for a moment and she felt he was trying to determine that she really _was _confident that this was the right decision. Judging by the determined look on his own face, he wasn't going to back down by trying the alternative methods of controlling her abilities before putting her into a machine that could transform her.

"Can Ah ask somethin'?" Rogue queried quietly.

"Ask," Magneto responded.

"With the...evolution process...will...will Ah be like what happened to Scott?"

"What do you mean?" asked Magneto.

"His...mutation accelerated, which Ah know is the _point_, but...he looked different...and kind of sounded different. Ah mean...is there a chance Ah could walk out of this a _completely _different person...not just mentally, but _physically_?"

Magneto pondered, "It is always a possibility of certain risks when going to lengths to deliberately accelerate your abilities through this method. One of those risks is that there may be some compromise on the ageing process. The evolution process attacks the under developed genes before they have mutated naturally, but there is an undesired side effect that can cause normal cells in the body to age slightly. If you are asking if there is a chance you may come out of this looking older, or unlike yourself, then the answer is yes. But it is a _small_ possibility."

"But...it happened to both Scott _and _his brother, so doesn't that mean the chances are higher if it happened twice?"

Magneto responded coolly, "Cyclops and his brother share the same genes, and those genes were prone to that particular side effect. I studied their DNA; they both have the genetic quirk that makes them prone to slightly advanced ageing even _without_ assisted evolution. Side effects can vary from person to person and the genetic material they already possess.." he went on to explain.

"Ah see," Rogue replied. "So...there's no way Ah would ever know for sure what might happen until it had already happened?"

"I am afraid there is no way to have one-hundred percent certainty of the side-effects. However, I will be taking DNA samples from you so I can study your genetic material; it may give us a better idea of what to expect. I am glad that you have brought the subject up. It shows how serious you are about this, and how much time you have spent truly thinking about this and the consequences."

"Believe me," said Rogue, "Ah've thought of nothin' but."

"Tomorrow after you get home from college, please come and see me to have the DNA samples taken," Magneto instructed as he headed for the door. "Please remember to be up for six am for training this time; set your alarm."

"Ah will," she promised, thinking perhaps this time she might set the one on her MP3 player as an extra precaution should whatever happened before happen a second time around.

* * *

The rain was still heavy in Bayville; Remy had opted to borrow Rogue's car for the journey. When he'd bought the car, there'd already been two sets of keys, but he hadn't made a point to tell Rogue that he'd kept the spare for himself, should there ever be an occasion he might like to borrow the car himself. He doubted she would mind, and he made a mental note that he would gas up the car when necessary.

Wanda was sitting in the passengers seat, her arms folded stubbornly over her chest; the black PVC coat she was wearing creaked any time she even slightly moved and the sound was getting on Remy's nerves. "I don't know why you just couldn't let me go alone," said Wanda, staring out of the side window with a frown on her face.

"I want to make sure this is going to be dealt with quickly. And I want to _see you_ take that pill. I'm taking as much responsibility and precaution as I can here by makin' sure _you_ do as well. We both fucked up, lets just rectify it and move on."

Wanda snorted, "we _both_ fucked up? How am I involved in that?"

"How long have we been screwin' around, Wanda? Three? Four weeks?"

"I haven't been keeping note," she responded coolly.

"Whatever, look, my point is, all that time, and it never occurred to you that, since you're having sex on a fairly regular basis, that you should have _some _kind of birth control?"

"I do. It's called a _condom_."

"And condoms aren't infallible?" he asked pointedly.

Wanda gave a sigh, she was clearly bored with the conversation. At least for now she was relaxed enough from sex that her powers weren't affecting the car even though she was mildly annoyed with him. "As far as I'm concerned, contraception is _your_ department, since you're the one who has to wear the damn things. Why are you acting like I'm partially to blame here when _you're_ the one who just decided to ram it up me without even putting something on the end of it?"

"Because..." he remarked, momentarily losing track of what he'd been thinking as the lights suddenly changed and he had to slam on the brakes.

"Because?"

"Because you _are _partially to blame. You knew that I didn't have a condom on, you can't tell me you didn't _feel_ the difference."

Wanda rolled her eyes at him.

"You knew fine well I wasn't wearin' one. And you never once at _any _point asked if I was even gonna pull out in time – which by the way is some extreme exercise in self-control I hope you know. I _could have_ went the full mile, would have been an even _bigger_ chance I'd have got you pregnant."

She turned to look at him, "I _didn't_ know," she reiterated, her blue eyes narrowing at him.

"You are such a liar," he frowned, "and even if you hadn't noticed _then,_ you would have when you got down on your knees."

"Can we drop this?" Wanda asked, sounding even more bored than she had before.

The lights changed, Remy had to restart the ignition, he'd managed to stall the thing again, just as he had earlier in the day. He had to keep reminding himself there were as many flaws with this car as there seemed to be with himself lately. "We'll get to that drug store, we'll get the pill, you'll take it. _Then_ we can drop it."

"Fine."

"In fact," said Remy, deciding this might be the best time to bring up what he'd been thinking of doing for a while now. "I think we should drop it altogether."

"Excuse me," she asked, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I think we should just...stop."

"Stop...?" she repeated, sounding confused.

"Stop having sex," he stated firmly.

Her face dropped a little, "But...I thought you liked it."

"I did. But enough is enough. Just a little more carelessness and we'd be in serious trouble. Besides, it must have occurred to you at some point that we'd have to eventually _stop," _he explained as he pulled the car into a parking space near the all night drug store.

Wanda's expression was clouded with hurt as she stared across at him. Clearly it _hadn't_ occurred. Not even when he'd suggested they stop on the night Rogue had arrived had it apparently ever really occurred to her they would have to eventually stop. "Why should it stop?" she asked, expecting real valid reasons.

He'd thought right now about to walk into a drug store for a morning after pill would have been good enough reason. "It's not like we're compatible. We're not even really friends. We don't get along," he explained. "We don't even _know_ each other. The most I know about you is what you like in the sack. Other than sleeping together, we're _strangers."_

Wanda got out of the car first, and he followed quickly to the drug store. She seemed now quite eager to get this over with.

"I can't tell you who your favourite band is, or what your favourite books or movies are..." Remy continued. He was lying. He knew enough by having been in her room what she liked. But those things were_ trivial._ He really _didn't_ know her.

It was odd, he realised, that he'd spent _months_ living with Wanda and barely knew her at all. The most he knew about Rogue were the vague things he'd observed from afar, and yet, he felt far closer to Rogue, she was far more compatible as a friend than Wanda.

Wanda had no response to his feelings about being strangers. They walked into the drug store together, and waited in the long-line of anxious mothers waiting to get cough medicine for screaming toddlers, and embarrassed high school kids trying to pluck up the nerve to buy condoms but ending up with tubes of toothpaste and acne cream.

This particular drug store was run by a rather iron-fisted pharmacist who had them showing various forms of identification and filling out forms before selling the one pill for one hundred dollars and three cents.

Remy wondered how these prices always came to ridiculous numbers like that. The store was definitely over-charging on the emergency contraceptive, but one hundred dollars, he supposed, was a small price to pay for peace of mind. As they waited for the pharmacist to go fetch the pill from the shelves in the back where they were kept, he grabbed a couple of cans of deodorant on sale from the counter, a bottle of his favourite black mint shower gel, a razor, a couple of boxes of tissues, and a bottle of Evian.

Wanda watched him curiously as he did this, "What...are you doing...we're not here to do grocery shopping."

"Look, chances are when we get home, _someone_ gonna see us comin' and wonder where we've been," Remy explained, he tossed a couple of health bars into the basket on the counter, "at least I can use the excuse that I had some stuff I needed to get."

"Oh," said Wanda, she disappeared momentarily and returned with a box of tampons and tossed them into the basket, then folded her arms pointedly. He might have smiled if they had been there under any other circumstances.

Remy waited as the elderly pharmacist began slowly bagging his purchases, and casually he glanced idly over the store. He hadn't expected to see Kitty Pryde there in the next line, for the other pharmacist, holding a box of tampons herself and waiting to pay. She recognised him and gave him a vaguely embarrassed wave as she tried to hide the label from her box beneath her arm. Remy grabbed the contraceptive pill box from the counter, hoping the petite girl hadn't seen it, and shoved it into his pocket quickly, feeling slightly anxious about this.

"What's up with you?" Wanda asked, noticing he did this.

Remy shook his head, "nothin'," he lied; he took out his old slightly torn wallet, and paid for the items. He and Wanda left the place, Remy hoping that Kitty had not noticed Wanda standing there.

When they got back into the car, Remy tossed the bag in the back and sighed, "that was Shadowcat in the next line."

"X-Men Shadowcat?"

"Do you _know_ any other Shadowcat?"

"No."

"I hope she didn't see that damn box. If she knows what it was, she'd tell Lance, Lance would probably blab to everyone."

"It's no one's business what we do but our own," Wanda stated as she climbed into the car.

For most of the journey back to the warehouse, they sat in silence, Remy just eager to get home and force Wanda to take that pill to ensure no 'accidents' occurred later. It was about a mile or so away from the Warehouse that Wanda finally broke the awkward silence that had been lingering between them.

"I've been thinking about what you said."

"Oh?" Remy asked, he felt thoroughly exhausted and couldn't wait to get to bed.

"Yeah...about what you said about us not knowing each other. You're right."

"I know I am," Remy responded, matter-of-factly.

"The thing is...we've never _tried."_

Remy blinked at this statement.

"Maybe...we should?"

"Are you serious?"

"You said we're not compatible, but...how could you know that if we don't know each other all that well?"

Remy had no words. Disappointment washed over him like the downpour outside. It'd taken him long enough to find an excuse that they should end things and she was looking for excuses not to.

_This is what you get for fucking a crazy person,_ Remy thought dully as he looked at her.

"I just realised that this is the first time you and I have even ever been out together at _any _time."

"That's...not true," Remy stated. He wondered if being out in the field counted? "There was the nightclub last weekend."

"I never saw you there," Wanda pointed out, "so it doesn't count."

"Out in the field?"

"No."

_Damn,_ thought Remy.

"I think we should just...try...to get along, and see where it leads."

"I don't want to do that," Remy admitted, regretting having to be so blunt but he was still desperate to get his point across. "There's too many complications," he went on to explain, trying to soften the blow.

"I don't _care _about complications," she said, he could see she was trying to hide the world of hurt behind her eyes as he tried to dump her. "You don't understand, Remy. My life _sucks..._and you are the _only _good thing in it. The one thing in this crazy place that is keeping me from losing my mind...is _you._"

Remy was truly stunned to hear this, and somehow, he was positive that she wasn't making these words up as she went along. There was too much sincerity in her expression, and her eyes were too glassy for this to be an act.

"Doesn't matter what else I try to do. Nothing makes me happy. But the thought of being with you...it's the _one_ thing that keeps me going...gives me something to just...live for."

And there it was.

If there was one thing that Wanda Maximoff could have said that would have been the _only_ thing that would have made him rethink dumping her, it was going to be that. Now, there was no ending this simply, because she _was_ an unstable person, an unstable person who didn't take her medications and caused all kinds of destruction whenever she was distressed. An unstable person who may just harm herself if she could not have the one thing that made her life bearable.

"Wanda..." Remy swallowed back the taste of complication. "What is it...you're tryin' to say to me, here?"

She gripped the dashboard with both hands, clenching her teeth; the car swerved and was out of Remy's control. It spun as if on ice, and swerved right.

He gasped, "Wanda!" he held the wheel tight as he could, it still pulled against his will. He removed his foot from the accelerator but it still continued to speed.

Wanda clenched her teeth, her eyes closed tightly, her breath catching in her throat as she began hyperventilating at an alarming rate. Remy glanced ahead, a deer shot out in front of the car and he yanked to the wheel to try and avoid hitting it, the animal just _barely _managed to get out of the way in time.

"Wanda! You're gonna kill us!"

Her breathing quickened, the headlights flickered on and off, flashing across the shining wet road like a strobe. The radio switched on, the dial throwing itself madly back and forth between stations.

He put his hand on her arm, "calm down...okay, just...breathe...it's okay..." he said, forcing himself to speak softly to her.

Her eyes bugged open, as she gasped for breath. Leaving the car to drive itself under her powers influence, he put both hands onto her face and turned her head so she would look at him. "Look at me, Wanda...look into my eyes..." he said, his voice tender. "Just breathe...relax...focus on me..."

With his eyes away from the road he could only hope that nothing would come down that lonely hill at that moment. It was always a quiet road, rarely ever any traffic. He hoped this wasn't going to be the one night there would be any exceptions.

_ I don't want to die like this,_ he thought desperately, trying to hide his fear. He watched. He took her hand in both of his and placed it upon his chest, "feel my chest rising and falling...try to match it with your breath...in and out...in and out," he instructed.

As she begun to catch her breath again, and her anxiety begun to wane, the car slowed and eventually rolled to a stop on the hill, then started to roll backwards as her powers released the vehicle. As Remy turned his attention back to the road, he grasped the parking brake and sighed in relief. Up ahead, he could see the lights in the mended windows of the Warehouse, they were almost home.

"You okay now?" he asked, trying to still be gentle, trying to ignore the anger inside that she had just almost killed them both.

"I have feelings for you. I'm sorry..." she blurted and turned to look at him with sad eyes.

"Wanda...I..." he began, not sure how to finish what he wanted to say.

"I need you, Remy. I can't help it. It's just how I feel...I want to be with you...that's all there is to it."

Remy sighed to himself. He didn't want to say that he didn't particularly need her, and he didn't particularly want to be with her. How was he supposed to handle this without throwing her into a fit of rage and possibly doing something stupid. "This...is so out of left field."

"I know."

"You...could do so much better than me, you know," Remy tried. He truly meant it. She _was _capable of finding someone much better...someone who would like the things she did, someone who would _want_ her. Someone who would relish the kind of crazy thing she liked to do, and would love her mind as well as her body.

"I don't want anyone else. You're the only one I've _ever_ wanted."

Remy stared at the wheel, trying to decide how to handle this. He couldn't make a big decision like this sitting in a car. "I know this isn't what you want to hear," he turned to look at her, his expression serious, "But I really can't think about this tonight. This whole thing has my head spinning."

"Oh," Wanda replied, sounding very deflated. It was so odd how her whole personality seemed as if it belonged to someone else now. This was not the angry young woman he'd had sex with...this was some fragile creature who had _hidden _behind angry sex and an icy attitude to everything.

"Let me sleep on it," he requested of her. "And...then we'll discuss it...I promise. But for now, I just need time."

_And hopefully, in that time, she isn't going to do something stupid,_ Remy thought unhappily, feeling even more trapped than he ever had before.

* * *

**End of Part Thirteen**

* * *

Thanks to those who have been taking the time to review (especially those who have taken the time to review every chapter or who have left lengthy reviews with their thoughts). I always value each and every review.

Also, I do apologise if some readers may find Remy _horribly_ out of character in this particular chapter, although I've done my best to address that even _he _realises something is far wrong with what is happening and how things are turning out for him. I know some people might find this entire chapter somewhat unnecessary and unpleasant, but I assure, it is relevant to Remy's growth in future parts of the story. I'm sorry if people don't like it though.


	14. MagneticAttractionPart14

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Fourteen**

* * *

Remy LeBeau did not sleep a wink. As he lay in bed, looking up at ceiling, all he could think about were the events of the past twenty-four hours. He'd had more ups and downs in twenty-four hours than he was sure he may have had in an entire year.

He summarized everything that had occurred; weird dreams about Rogue, sleeping in for training, the breakfast with Rogue and then his almost violent escapade with Wanda. The final leg of that entire journey of events? Wanda's revelation that she cared for him, that she couldn't be without him.

He kept asking himself _why_ would she ever care for him (or why for that matter anyone would care for him given his recent behaviour). He'd never given her the slightest indication he would ever care for her, and it wasn't as if he'd ever made any effort to even be remotely _nice_ to her other than a few outstandingly exquisitely performed sexual acts.

When sleep would not come, he paced, first across the small area in his room until he could no longer stand to look at the place, and then he paced to the kitchen to look for food. There was nothing remotely interesting to eat other than cereal, and he wasn't in the mood for it – besides which, he realised that he wasn't even _that _hungry. _Even if I tried to eat, doubt I'd keep it down right now,_ he thought unhappily, feeling slightly sick.

At two in the morning, he lay across the couch in the living room area and watched television, not really being able to pay attention to _any_ of it. By three, he was chipping gathered ice out of the freezer due to sheer boredom. When Four came, he worked on sit-ups, push-ups and pull-ups. By five am, he'd wandered back and forth over the warehouse so many times he was sure he must have worn some of the cement floors down.

He went to the balcony on the third floor catwalk to get some air (rather than move the large and noisy doors to the main yard), and stood there in the rain for a little while, smoking a cigarette, the collar of his trench coat flicked up to try and prevent the rain sliding down his neck. The rain had been heavy since yesterday; it'd never let up. The weather app on his phone told him that it was expected to last for days.

It was a typical Bayville autumn, wet, cold and miserable. He felt that might have been a metaphor for himself right now, as he was already soaked, shivering, and definitely miserable. As he put out his cigarette, he turned briefly and noticed Rogue's window was open, and her light was on. He wondered if she were already awake.

_I should wake her up for training,_ he thought, remembering the issues with their set alarms the morning before. He stepped inside, slipped his trench coat off and hung it over the rail of the catwalk. He moved to Rogue's door and gave a very small knock, and asked if she was awake.

There was no answer. He invited himself in anyway, deciding that she wouldn't mind seeing as she _definitely _didn't sleep in the nude as far as he knew.

_She's too much of a good girl for that,_ he thought. It was just another of the many things he found himself comparing between Wanda and Rogue as of late. Quietly he slipped in, closing the door behind himself hoping no one had seen him enter her bedroom. The last thing he wanted was a rumour spreading and getting back to Wanda.

_I don't need that kind of drama in my life right now,_ he thought. _Not that there's anythin' remotely wrong goin' on here anyway._

Rogue was stretched out on her bed over the covers, still dressed from the night before. An array of college books spread out across the black satin bedspread. Remy stood, looking at her as she slept. Her hair was draped across her face, and one leg was hanging off the bed entirely, the sock attached to her foot had nearly come off entirely. Her bare hand held on lightly to the book she'd fallen asleep reading.

He moved aside some of her books and sat on the end of her bed, watching her, wondering if in her sleep she might feel his presence and wake up. She didn't. She slept soundly, her breathing even and calm. He reached over and delicately – with great care not to touch her skin – brushed the hair that had fallen over her face. She'd fallen asleep in her makeup again, and it had smudged under her eyes slightly.

Was she dreaming? He wondered what she might dream about...did she dream about the day she might finally have control over her poisonous skin? Did she dream about Scott Summers?

Remy picked up one of her books and flicked through the pages, understanding very little of it. It was very rare he ever felt regretful that he'd left halfway through his high school education to pursue his life of crime, but as of late he'd found himself occasionally wondering how different things could have been if he hadn't.

His eyes spied a small clock on her dresser, showing that it was five thirty am. Whether he wanted to or not, he'd have to wake her. At least he could ensure that there were no repeats of yesterday.

"Rogue," he said in a soft murmur.

Rogue gave a vague groan in her sleep, she stirred slightly but did not awaken.

"Chere..." he spoke softly, he put his hand upon her side and shook her gently.

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked at him with confusion. She glanced around her room, eyes blinking, she looked at the books and sighed, realising she'd fallen asleep. "What time is it?"

"Five thirty," he answered, almost in a lulling whisper, so as not to give her too much of a rude awakening. "Thought I should maybe come wake you up myself, just to be sure you got up...I didn't want Magneto to have a reason to be mad a second day in a row."

"It's fine," she rubbed the back of her neck.

"It's rainin' out. The course is gonna be a mess today. If you have anything waterproof, I'd say wear it."

"Ah don't have anything like that..." Rogue sighed rubbing the sleep crusts from her eyes.

"I'm gonna speak to Magneto about uniforms later today. We'll eventually need safe gear to wear out in the field, and right now, you, Tabitha, and Wanda have nothing even remotely suitable for out there. Why didn't you bring that black catsuit with the pauldrons and the chest guard? That would have been perfect."

"That's X-Men property," Rogue responded, "Ah didn't think it was appropriate to take it and wear it here."

"I guess not," Remy responded. He supposed she was right; it would be too much of a reminder for her about a team she no longer participated in.

"You look like shit, by the way," Rogue commented, "did you even go to bed last night?" she asked with a yawn.

He gave a little yawn too, almost positive that yawns were more contagious than herpes at an orgy. "I've been up all night. Couldn't sleep, I guess."

Rogue stood up slowly, and stretched a little, "Why not?"

He wished he could explain why not. Instead, he had to lie. "Just insomnia. Hits me from time to time."

"Ah see," said Rogue, she opened her dresser and searched for something appropriate to wear. "Ah'm really running out of clean clothes..." she grumbled.

"You should do your laundry," Remy responded; he wished he hadn't spoken. His mind raced back to thrusting himself into Wanda Maximoff against a juddering washing machine. His cheeks grew hot just thinking of it. As pleasurable as it had been, he _never _wanted to go to _that place_ again.

"Ah'll get to it when Ah find time," Rogue assured, "okay, you gonna leave so Ah can get changed?"

"Hmm...do I get to choose?" he cracked, although the joke left him feeling as empty and fake as the smirk he offered her.

"No."

"All right," he stood up. Just as he had reached her door. "Chere...can I ask you a favour?"

"Hmm?"

"If...by any chance you do happen to do a laundry..." he began. "Any chance you might...uh...throw mines in there too?" he asked hopefully. He didn't like the thought of having to step into that room any time soon. He didn't want to be reminded of the horrible person he had become in there, and he _definitely_ didn't want to happen in on Wanda in that room again either for that matter.

Rogue, still half asleep it seemed, stared at him confusedly, "You want...me...to do your laundry? You're serious? Ah'm not your slave, Remy."

"I know that, I'm not _sayin' _you should do it because you're a woman and laundry is a woman's job..." he explained, "it's just...I never find much time...I'm always doin' somethin' round here," Remy admitted, "call it favour...I'll repay it later, I promise. Anythin' you want me to do, I'll do it. If it's your turn to clean the toilets, I'll do it no questions asked."

"If...you like," Rogue shrugged. "Leave it in the laundry room in a basket or somethin' and Ah'll do it."

"Can't you just grab it from my room on your way down? My room is like two doors away..." he reminded.

"Okay..." she responded, seeming utterly mystified.

"Thanks, chere, "see you at the obstacle course."

* * *

Something was wrong with Remy LeBeau.

Rogue couldn't place it exactly, but something was definitely up. She'd been there with him, and the rest of the team, as they all together tried to work to get to the other side facing the challenge of the rain. Slipping and sliding on mud banks had been hard enough, but this time Magneto had participated by throwing hollow balls of metal at them using his powers. She'd watched ball after ball hit him, as he slipped clumsily in the mud and fell.

Rogue just couldn't understand it; Remy LeBeau was normally so practised, so precise, so quick, and flawless.

This morning, he was _just hopeless._

He seemed unable to concentrate properly, and it was showing. When the training session had ended, she had tried asking him if everything was okay, to which he had replied through gritted teeth that he was fine. She'd left it at that. As much as she wanted to make sure he was all right she just didn't have time, she still had to get showered, and ready for class.

Thoughts of Remy stayed with her the whole day; she couldn't quite pinpoint what it was that really bothered her about it. Just that something was obviously wrong, because he had never been _that_ careless, or looked that worn out before.

_He's spending too much time at the warehouse. He needs to get out more...he needs some time away, some time to get the stress off his back. He definitely needs a break, _Rogue decided as she left her final class of the day. _When a guy doesn't even have the time to wash his own skivvies, then he is _way _too overworked._

She thought briefly of asking him perhaps if he'd like to go out for a burger, or perhaps a coffee. Something to act as a distraction. He was a different person when it was just the two of them. It was as if the cold, determined and hard person that he showed the others seemed to wane into the Remy LeBeau she'd known before the minute they got away from that place.

_Yeah...I definitely should ask him to get out for a little while, before he cracks._

It occurred to her that before she ask anything of Remy, she had to deal with Magneto first. He'd asked to see her today.

Rogue couldn't deny she was slightly excited as she drove home. Going to see Magneto today was the beginning of what hopefully would be the solution to all her problems with her powers. It was the proper starting point, the promise of something. It was the first time she'd had anything to feel even remotely enthusiastic about in some time.

The rain was still pouring as she arrived back at the warehouse. She noted Piotr's van was gone from the yard, which more than likely meant he and Remy had both gone out to get more supplies for the building project of the gymnasium and the training area.

As she stepped into the warehouse, she saw that Lance and Pietro were arguing over the measurement of a piece of wood for the project; as she entered, she both noted they glanced over at her.

"Hey," she said, trying to be as civil as possible despite seeing eye to eye with either of them.

"Yeah, hi," mumbled Pietro, looking back down at the piece of wood. At least, for now, he'd chosen to be civil too.

"Is...uhm...Magneto in?" she asked, glancing towards the office door.

"Far as I know," said Pietro, he raised his cool eyes to her, "he's been in there all day doing something. I don't know."

"Thanks," Rogue responded quietly; she dropped her book bag and began the walk to the office door slowly.

"Hey, Rogue," Lance called; he began to jog slowly over to her, and met her at the door.

Blinking, she stopped short of putting her hand up to knock at the door, and turned to look at him, "what?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Got a question...about Kitty..."

"Okay..."

"Her birthday is on Monday...I need to get her something, but...I don't know what."

"Oh," said Rogue.

"Got...any ideas?" Lance asked hopefully.

"Ah don't know...you're her boyfriend..." Rogue pointed out.

"Geez, fine if you're going to be like that-" said Lance, getting irritated.

"No, all Ah mean is...you probably know her better than Ah do."

"Not really. You shared a room with her, right? You've lived with her for a few years now? You _must_ know the kind of things she likes..."

Rogue paused to think. She thought about telling him to go to hell, that she wasn't interested in helping him score points with Kitty, especially since Lance would have never made any attempt to even be civil with her at any other point. Then again, she realised it'd be much easier to just help him and try to be civil.

"Come on..." pleaded Lance, "I know you must have an idea?"

"Ah would need some time to think..." Rogue responded. "Ah'll get back to you on that...Ah have some other stuff to take care of. And you have 'til Sunday at least."

"Okay, fine," Lance responded, looking a little deflated. "I'll ask you later."

Still a little surprised that Lance had bothered at all to ask her for her advice on the matter, Rogue recomposed herself, and knocked on the door of Magneto's office room. He responded that she should enter, and she stepped through.

The room looked somewhat different. Although it was a reasonably large room already, he'd decided to make it more spacious for some reason, by arranging the u-shaped desk set up he'd had into an L shaped desk situation against the two corner walls at the back, where his bedroom area was, and the bed had been shifted closer to the wall.

He stepped through the chain curtains from the bedroom area, his hair seemed slightly out of place as if he had been sleeping.

"You asked to see me after class," Rogue responded as she closed the door behind herself.

"Yes," said Magneto, he waved a hand and one of the metal framed chairs in the room swept it's way across the floor and came up beside her. "Please sit. And roll up your sleeve."

Uneasily, Rogue did as she was told, while he used his powers to summon over a metal tray and another chair. He sat opposite her as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

"Are you squeamish about needles?" he asked of her, his tone cool and lulling.

"Not really," she answered.

He gently took her arm and rested her knuckles against his knee then went about taking a blood sample with a prepared syringe. Rogue wondered where it was that he'd even gotten those supplies. Probably stolen, she'd wager.

It impressed her that she did not feel when he inserted the needle into her vein. She'd have never expected Magneto to have such an incredibly gentle touch. "Wow..." she said, without meaning to.

"Hmm?" he asked of her, his eyes on what he was doing.

"Ah didn't even feel that."

Magneto smiled a little, a genuine, somewhat warm smile as he seemed to be thinking of something momentarily. "When I was a medical student I had to eventually take blood from a patient for the first time as part of my training. I was so nervous, I accidentally snapped the needle in her arm."

Rogue listened, interested.

"Blood spurted out onto my coat, the patient – already quite afraid of needles – nearly fainted. It took some time to extract the other part of the needle, which had embedded itself in the vein. For a time after, my hands would shake every time I had to complete the procedure, I was so afraid of repeating the same mistake again and again."

"But you got over it," Rogue stated.

"After a lot of work," Magneto explained, "I volunteered to help with blood donation drives, I gave vaccinations to infants during pandemics, and I would practice on cadavers."

Rogue found this quite fascinating. She'd never really had Magneto speak to her like this on such a _personal_ level. It almost made her feel slightly less nervous about letting the man take blood from her. Right now, his taking blood from her wasn't only what was causing her nervousness. He had the sleeves to his shirt rolled up to his elbows, and his arms were incredibly bare and so close to hers. One false move would have been all it would take to brush his skin against hers.

_One tiny little mistake, and Ah would drain him. He'd never even know what hit him,_ she thought dully as she watched the dark red blood being drawn into a vial.

It occurred to her that if she really wanted to know if he intended to help her sincerely, all it would take is for her to push her arm forwards towards his and she'd learn all she needed to. Would he be fast enough to pull away? Would he expect her to do something like that.

Curiously she shifted very slightly her arm with the needle still in it slightly upwards a little, just to see if he was going to flinch his arm away. He did not flinch, nor did he seem to really notice the movement as he was too invested in the drawing of her plasma. An odd tingling sensation caught her attention, it almost reminded her of the feeling of static electricity. She shivered a little.

"Something the matter?" he asked.

"Just a weird feeling," she shook her head.

"Oh?" he stopped, "What kind of feeling? From where? The area of the needle? Is it a numbness or pain?" he asked seriously, almost looking concerned.

"No...Ah think it's from you...maybe your shirt or something...reminds me of static electricity...it...tingles."

"It's the field around me to prevent things from being drawn to me unintentionally," Magneto explained calmly.

"Ohh," said Rogue.

Magneto removed the needle and placed a ball of cotton against the mark before making her lift her arm to keep it pressed there.

Rogue wondered if it could be that her powers worked in a similar way. "Is that what Ah do?" she asked aloud. "Are my powers around me like a field? Could it be controlled the same way you control that?"

"Unsure," Magneto simply stated, "I would need to do a lot more research. I may need to see your powers in action to witness for myself what the process is."

"But that'd mean someone getting hurt."

"You did say you would do whatever it took," Magneto reminded, "besides, we would just need to find someone who was willing to be absorbed. Perhaps Colossus...he has a very strong constitution, and would most likely be able to withstand more punishment than the others."

Rogue didn't like the idea of having anyone be a guinea pig for the experiments Magneto seemed to be thinking up in his mind. The thought of anyone having to suffer so she could learn to control her abilities did not sit well with her at all.

"I'd like you to run this around the inside of your cheek," he held out a stick with a small ball of cotton on the end of it.

Rogue did so, and handed him the sample which he put into a sterile bag and dumped on the tray beside the blood vial. "Is that all you need?"

"That is all," he replied, "let me see the needle mark."

Rogue released her arm and he removed the ball of cotton. It'd left a little smear of blood, but it no longer seemed to be bleeding. She watched as he gently cleaned the blood up with a disinfected wipe.

Then something quite astounding happened.

It happened so quickly that she was almost unaware of it until a moment later. As Magneto had been carefully putting a band-aid onto her arm, she felt him touch her. His arm had definitely brushed so very briefly against her own; she would have thought she'd imagined it if it had not come with the same familiar tingling sensation as before.

The rush of memories, of thoughts, and disjointed feelings _should_ have immediately came to her like a burst of flashing images and whirling in her head. But nothing did.

She raised her head to look across at him in confusion and alarm, and he looked back at her, his expression serene, but knowing. And somehow, without having absorbed any memories, she understood right away...he had done that deliberately.

Still in alarm, and feeling somehow almost betrayed, she yanked her arm away from him and held it close to her, looking at him in complete shock. Her heart had suddenly began thumping hard in her chest as if someone had just jumped out at her and said 'boo'. She couldn't explain why this made her feel suddenly quite vulnerable and scared.

Magneto seemed to be waiting for her to say something, and when she didn't, he finally asked, "is something the matter?"

"You...you...know what's the matter..." she looked down at her bare arm, wondering if perhaps he had put something on her before doing that, if this was some kind of strange trick. But she'd felt no application of anything other than the tiny band-aid, and the definite brush of the soft almost silky underside of his arm against the side of hers. "How did you do that?" she demanded.

Magneto pulled off his latex gloves and tossed them into a nearby bin, "The matter would need more investigation before I could pinpoint exactly why that experiment worked. I can only assume that my magnetic field interrupted your abilities..."

Rogue shook her head, "but how? Ah mean...Ah felt your _skin_...Ah didn't feel any...field..."

"The field is thin, Rogue. Thinner than air, of course you wouldn't _feel_ it."

"How did you know you wouldn't be absorbed?"

"I didn't," Magneto responded, "I simply took a risk in order to learn a valuable lesson."

"Maybe it was a fluke," Rogue responded, "Ah know that sometimes if Ah touch people really fast...Ah barely absorb them at all. Maybe Ah did absorb something, but it went by too fast for either of us to notice?"

Magneto held out his bare hand to her, "if you would like to check," he offered.

Rogue looked down at his hand and chewed her lip. "What if it doesn't work this time...what if Ah absorb you? What if your powers drive me insane and Ah end up tearin' the room up?"

"You agreed that you would work with me on testing and exploring your powers further before we put you through the evolution process," Magneto reminded. "You may, in the end, discover that your powers _are _controllable, Rogue."

She looked down at her gloved hands before staring at his bare hands, "it's...it's too much of a risk...all this time, everyone Ah've ever touched has been hurt. Maybe it was the sleeve of your shirt Ah felt..." she reasoned.

"I felt it too, Rogue. There's no mistaking it. My skin touched yours, and I am unharmed."

"But..." Rogue met his cool blue eyes, feeling close to tears, unsure why.

"Rogue..." he said softly, "you can do this."

"But..." she tried again, unsure what it was she was really trying to say.

"Look," he offered, and reached across to sweep the backs of his fingers against her left cheek, down to her chin and then across to her right cheek in one, slow, easy motion which was so light, and so tender, it caught her by surprise.

The touch lasted more than eight seconds; she couldn't believe she'd _counted_ them. When he took his hand away, she put her gloved hands to her face and sobbed into them, a burst of emotion seemed to erupt from nowhere.

Rogue had spent years being caged in poisonous skin, never knowing what the touch of another truly felt like. Whenever she touched anyone, all she felt was the firmness of the flesh, but not the texture, not the warmth, just the hardness and sensation of her powers drawing the life away from another.

And now...she'd felt something. Magneto's skin was softer, and far warmer than she'd have given credit for, and that she'd felt it...felt the flesh of another, been able to connect for just eight seconds...it had been the most overwhelming experience in her life she'd had since the discovery of her powers.

"Are you all right?" asked Magneto softly.

She was unable to answer, she sobbed into her hands, sitting there, feeling foolish, and elated, and miserable, and hopeful, all at the same time. To her surprise, she felt him put his hand against her hair, and he spoke softly to her, reassuringly.

"I will find a way to help you, Rogue. I will."

* * *

Remy LeBeau had been standing staring at a display of screws, nuts, bolts and fixings in the hardware store for ten minutes. He still had not quite managed to find what it was he was looking for. He supposed if he'd been thinking a little less of his dilemma with Wanda, and more of the task at hand, he'd have actually found it by now as opposed to staring blankly at the display.

It had been a horrible day. The training session had made him look a fool; the mud had done nothing to help him get across the obstacle course, and even his own changes had fooled him into getting trapped once. Being hit with Magneto's hollow metal spheres had only left him feeling as bruised as his ego was beginning to feel. He was quite aware the others had noticed how incredibly inept he'd been today.

From the moment he'd met everyone in his team, he'd been striving to never show any ineptitude; everything about what he did on and off the field was precise, practised and absolutely – as far as he was concerned anyway – _perfect._

_ I'm going to have to try harder tomorrow, or they're going to lose all respect for me,_ he realised dully. It did occur to him that his inability to concentrate at training had been his own fault ultimately. He'd somehow unintentionally led on Wanda, and now he had to deal with the consequences; either be with her, and be unhappy, or not be with her, and leave _her_ unhappy, with powers that were barely in check enough already, and a mind that was as cracked as a boiled egg at breakfast.

It wasn't the aspect of turning her powers against him and the others that bothered him, as much as the thought that she _might _harm herself. She'd never shown any suicidal tendencies before to him, although she did seem to have a liking for pain judging by the piercings and the way she liked it when he was rough with her during their time together.

Would she harm herself? He realised the problem there was that he didn't know her well enough to be certain that she wouldn't.

_Perhaps there's something to that, _he wondered. _All this time, and I don't know her well enough to know if she's _serious_ that what we do together is the only thing worth living for._

"Did you find screw?"

Remy turned to see Piotr approaching. Piotr was pushing a large cart filled with the necessary supplies for the gymnasium project. He was strong enough that even a cart full of heavy power tools and heavy wooden beams posed no problem.

Turning back to the display, Remy gave a sigh, "No. I just don't see them. I don't think they have them," Remy gave a sigh as he turned back to the display.

"You look tired," said Piotr sympathetically before his eyes fell beyond Remy; he reached over Remy's shoulder and grabbed a large bag of screws from the display, "this is it, no?"

Remy groaned, it'd been there in front of him the entire time. He must have looked at it more than six times judging by how many times he'd been back and forth looking at the display. How could he have _not seen them?_ It must have been only three feet in front of his very eyes. "Fuck," he mumbled.

"Is not like you to not see what is in front of you," Piotr remarked, quite astutely, "What is wrong with you today?" he tossed the screws into the cart and went about pushing it. Remy moved to walk at his side.

"Just tired. It's been a crazy week," Remy reminded, he shoved his hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat and lazily sauntered along.

"You spend too much time at warehouse. If you are not building obstacle course, you are building warehouse. You find no time for anything else," Piotr admitted.

_Not true,_ thought Remy tiredly, _I find plenty time for sex. That's why I'm practically being emotionally blackmailed._

"You should take day off," announced Piotr; Remy wished he had the optimism to believe it were all that simple.

"I wish I could," Remy admitted, "But...it's not that easy. I'm the leader now, and the leader doesn't get a day off."

"I speak with Magneto, ask him to let you have day off," offered Piotr enthusiastically.

"That's a nice offer, Pete, but you should just worry about yourself. Don't fret about me, I'll be fine. Besides. Magneto would only take that as a sign I can't do this."

"What would happen then?"

"I don't know," Remy responded. "All I know is, he doesn't like signs of weakness. I can't show any now."

"Being tired is _not _a weakness, it is human need for rest," Piotr objected. "He would see that you are doing a good job and that you should take time to rest."

Remy doubted he was doing a good job, or that Magneto would encourage him to take a day off. All the same, even speaking briefly about the situation with Piotr made him feel slightly better. He tipped himself to nudge the larger boy in the arm with his shoulder, "you're a good guy, Pete. Don't ever let Magneto or the rest of the Acolytes ever knock that out of you."

"You are good guy too. You just like to think you are not."

"No, I pretty much know I'm not a good guy, Pete. If I was, I'd sleep a hell of a lot better at nights."

"Why are you not sleeping?" Piotr asked, he stopped at the next aisle to pick up the next item on their list.

"Idiocy, most likely," Remy responded, he could tell by expression on the boy's face that he didn't quite understand the answer. He didn't feel the need to elaborate, and thankfully, Piotr didn't seem to feel the need to press the issue further.

Remy heard the ping of his phone as a text message was received. He took it out to check the message and sighed to see it was from Wanda's number. He read the text. It said '_call me_'.

"Something wrong?" asked Piotr, stopping.

"Nothin," said Remy. "We got everythin' on that list yet?"

"Just a few more things," Piotr held the list out and glanced over them, "We need this...what is this thing? Ankle biter?"

"Huh?" Remy asked, he leaned over to look at the list, "no...that's _Angle Grinder,_" he explained. "Sorry, that's Magneto's writing. He has that typical doctor type handwriting...sometimes can't make head nor tail of it."

"What is this angle grinder?" the large boy asked curiously.

"Uhm...I don't know what they might call it in Russian..." Remy paused, trying to think. "Storony mjasorubki?" he asked.

Piotr stared at him blankly. "Your Russian is poor."

"I only spent two weeks in St. Petersberg trying to steal a rare sniper rifle from the son of an ex-KGB officer, I was hardly going to learn the entire language while I was there," Remy shrugged.

"I still do not know what this angle grinder is..."

"For cutting stone...or metal...big machine..." Remy thought, "sometimes they call it a disc grinder or a side grinder. It looks like a big ass drill, but with the handle at the wrong end, and a slot for a disc at the side."

"I will go find."

"We need discs too for it. Make sure they're the right size, mind."

"I will ask staff," Piotr responded.

"Okay, uhm...you mind if I go make a phone call?" Remy asked.

"I will get things, you make phonecall, we meet outside," Piotr assured.

"Okay," Remy reached into his pocket with the envelope of money Magneto had given him for the supplies "here's the cash. Don't let them try to scam you out of paying more."

"I won't," Piotr said, a slight roll of his eyes and a smile.

"Watch them scan _everything,_ keep an eye on the numbers on the register," Remy instructed before he slipped outside to make his phone call. He stood beneath the awning of the store, lighting a cigarette before he dialled Wanda's number. She picked up immediately.

"Hey!"

"What's up?" he asked with a sigh, he put the cigarette to his lips and took a long drag.

"_Where are you_?"

"At the hardware store. Had to get more stuff for the building project. What's wrong?"

"_We haven't spoken since last night, you said you'd sleep on it...and then never got back to me_," Wanda said, sounding angry and upset.

"Wanda, you _know_ I've been busting my ass all day, I haven't had _time_ to stop and chit-chat. God, I've barely had time to _piss_ today."

"_We need to talk about this, Remy_."

He groaned, "Wanda...I'm so tired. Can't we talk later?"

"_No! I want to talk about this now!"_

"Now is _not the time,"_ he took yet another drag of the cigarettes, hoping for the nicotine to kick in quickly before his nerves got much more shot.

_ "Just tell me if you even give a shit about me_!" Wanda demanded.

Remy responded quickly; he knew he didn't have the time to pause and think about the answer. _"_Of course I give a shit about you," he responded. In truth, yes, he supposed he did care about her, in an odd, and vague way. But did he care about her enough to be with her in a more romantic way? No, he wasn't sure he did.

_You need to make a decision now, Remy. Figure out a solution, or at least something that's gonna get her off your back for now,_ he thought. "Wanda...listen...I'm gonna be home in about an hour. I'll come talk to you then...and we'll figure this out then. But I'm not gonna do this over the phone."

"Fine. I'll see you in an hour."

"Yes. You will."

* * *

**End of part Fourteen**

* * *

**So glad to see that there wasn't a lot of backlash over the previous chapter (was very nervous about uploading that due to the graphic nature and the likelihood of people finding Remy waaaaaaaaay out of character, lol). Thanks for all the kind reviews, hope you enjoyed this one! 3**


	15. MagneticAttractionPart15

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Fifteen**

* * *

When Remy LeBeau arrived home, his stomach was churning and he felt sick. Exhaustion had weighed him so much that during the ride home he'd nodded off twice in the car (and would have remained sleeping if not for the speed bumps) and the spring in the passengers seat of Piotr's van that kept stabbing his left buttock.

As he helped Piotr load their supplies into the yard, his bones ached with the strain and his mind felt oddly numb and switched off. He deliberately took his time with the task despite the heavy downpour, not wanting to rush it and have a reason to go back in too soon. He hated manual labour, but he was glad of it, as it was the only thing, at this moment in time, he was sure might be keeping him somewhat together.

When the van was empty (except for the electrical items), and they'd unloaded all of the items into the yard – which was still under heavy rain – they went inside. The warehouse felt warmer than normal, which Remy took to mean that Magneto had finally fixed the issue with the heating system in the basement of the warehouse. He could hear the music blasting from Wanda's room, although it sounded distant and unintelligible from where he stood, dripping upon the cement tiles.

Remy peeled off his rain-soaked trench coat and tossed it onto a nearby chair, giving a sigh as he swept his dripping hair away from his face. He stood to momentarily watch Pietro and Lance working at the task he'd last left them with, which was to measure up the beams of wood for the support in the gymnasium walls and the roof above, which would eventually be an extra bedroom. It looked to Remy that they were doing a poor job, judging by the four beams against the wall, none of which were precisely the same length as far as he could tell from afar. Rogue was there too, trying to explain to Lance and Pietro exactly what they were doing wrong. They didn't seem too enthusiastic about her criticisms.

"No...it has to be done this way, otherwise they're all going to be different lengths," Rogue was explaining to Pietro and Lance, who both looked at her somewhat blankly as if to ask 'what does a girl know about this anyway?'. Remy stood and listened for a moment as he wrung the water out of the sleeves of his long-sleeved tee.

"That's what we did," responded Lance, irritably.

"No, Ah watched you. You took the measuring tape to it, which is fine, but you didn't even do it _accurately..."_ Rogue explained, "Try to measure them all together as one, and draw the line across them all at the same time..."

"Look, it works this way," Pietro responded, "we've been doing it this way for days."

Remy stepped in to examine the work closer. The way Pietro had clumsily cut the current beam of wood was very uneven, so that the top went off at a slope. He winced. This wood was expensive, and Magneto wasn't going to be pleased with that, or that Remy would have to go for yet more supplies to fix the mess his team had made of the project so far.

"You should listen to her," Remy stated, he stared down at the wood, "that's a mess."

"A mess?" Pietro snarled. "I did an outstanding job. Look at how even I cut this?" he gestured to another beam that was standing against brick wall nearby.

Remy moved over to examine, "yeah...it's nice and even, sure. But it's about half an inch smaller than the one to the right..." he gestured, "that's not gonna hold up the ceiling very well. They have to be perfectly _level._ I told you what to do. You need to measure them _together_, not separately. Rogue's just told you again and you're still not listening."

"Rogue isn't the boss of me, and neither are you," uttered Pietro.

"Your father says I am," Remy warned. "Every time you fuck up a beam of wood this way, it means I have to replace it. More trips to the hardware store, more money spent equals a very unhappy Magneto, who wants to see this project done," Remy explained simply.

"That's your problem," muttered Pietro.

Remy had really had enough of this. He'd been letting the boy away with murder up until now, but he was reaching the end of his tether, and he wasn't going to accept trouble from _both_ Maximoff twins today without snapping. "Is it?" he asked lightly, he looked away casually as he stood by Pietro, he gave a vague light laugh. "Is it really?"

"Yes, it is," said Pietro, this time with slightly more bravado. "What's one more screw up, anyway, right? It's not like my father's gonna forget the complete joke you were in training this morning."

Remy laughed a little more, standing there calmly, letting everyone think he was fine. And then he snapped faster than Pietro would have given him credit for; he grabbed a nearby screwdriver from the workbench, caught the shoulder of Pietro's t-shirt, slammed him into the nearby section of the half-built gymnasium wall and stabbed the blade of the screwdriver into the fabric of the boy's t-shirt and the wooden panel, pinning him there, and still gripping onto the plastic handle firmly. It had happened so quickly that even Pietro wouldn't have thought to move out of the way for it.

"Remy!" he heard Rogue gasping, her voice was a high pitched squeal, revealing her complete astonishment.

"You know what my problem is?" Remy snarled, "is pretentious little shits like you who think they're bullet proof just because of who their fathers are..." he began kinetically charging up the handle of the screwdriver; he saw Pietro turn and look at the glowing handle, the panic beginning to build on his face, eyes going wide like saucers.

Lance moved to try and pull Remy's hand away from the screwdriver, and Remy, while still holding onto the charged item tight, elbowed him in the shoulder awkwardly from behind.

"Don't even think about it, you want me to blow this place sky high? Are you that fucking stupid?!" he demanded of Lance. "Don't even think of using your powers on me either."

Lance tumbled to the floor, gripping his shoulder in pain. Remy wouldn't have given himself that much credit for hitting him that hard.

"Remy!" Rogue cried again, he felt her hands gently on his his left arm – the one that was gripping onto Pietro's wrist – as she was trying to slowly pull him off of the boy. "Remy, calm down...just let him go, all right?"

"No," Remy looked over her shoulder at her; he had to hold himself in check from knocking her away from him too in his rage. "He has to learn to do things right, and he needs to learn to have some fucking respect!" he charged the screwdriver more, the charge beginning to pass into the wall. "Know what happens if I take my hand off this, Pietro? I'm pretty sure you do. See...I won't be fast enough to get out of the way if this thing blows and caves in...but fuck, what do I care, 'cause I'm a joke anyway, right?"

Pietro's breath came out in a shuddering gasp, his eyes turned back towards the screwdriver before he met with Remy's black and red eyes again, the fear seemed to stretch through his whole expression so that his face seemed tight and stone-like.

"You on the other hand...your powers make you fast..." he frowned, "but are you _really _fast enough to get out of the way of an explosion like that?"

"Remy, stop!" Rogue pulled on his arm some more, "he gets it, okay? He's a jerk, he knows that. Just...let him go."

"Not until he gets it!" Remy yelled furiously.

"Lets—lets just talk about this..." said Pietro, stammering.

"Like how you and Lance are going to take Pete's van and go to the hardware store and get more wood? About how you're going to re-measure that shit and do it fucking right?" demanded Remy. "About how you're going to fix this shit?" he gestured to the now damaged panel.

"I'll do it...I'll do it...Jesus, just...let me go..." Pietro said weakly, trembling.

Remy drew the energy back into his hand, pulled the screwdriver roughly out of the wall and tossed it to the floor stubbornly, "And when you get back, clean this fucking mess up..." he gestured to what they'd had for lunch, the wrappers of which were still strewn about a nearby table.

Pietro slipped down the wall a little, looking disturbed by what had just happened.

"Well? What are you waiting around for? A fucking punchline? Go get the fucking wood. And you're paying for it yourself."

Stumbling up, Pietro grabbed onto Lance's shoulder and dragged him out with his powers, the two were gone within barely a second and a half. Remy moved to lean into the wall where moments ago, he'd pinned the eighteen year old and he gave a deep unhappy sigh.

"Remy..." Rogue said, sounding still quite alarmed.

"They'll learn one day," said Remy, recomposing himself. _I'll probably pay for acting that way later. He'll probably go whining to his dad about how I beat him up or some stupid shit,_ thought Remy.

"Are you all right?" Rogue asked, sounding slightly shaken.

"I'm...just dandy," he said, he looked down at her and something odd about how she looked caught his eye immediately. She looked...off. "Hey..." he reached across and tried to brush her hair away from her face with his gloved fingers. He wasn't sure why he thought it would be almost reassuring after what he'd just done.

Still alarmed by his behaviour, she flinched away from him. He immediately felt the rejection sting.

_That's what you get for losing it,_ he thought bitterly. _Your friends start looking at you in a completely different way. Hopefully haven't done too much damage._

"Your gloves are dirty..." Rogue responded, the lie blatant and bad. As she moved her hair out of her face he could see that her makeup was smudged, and her eyes looked slightly pink and glassy as if she'd been crying quite recently.

"Have..." he stepped a little closer to examine her face, "Have you been crying?"

"No," she stated, stepping back with a slightly guilty look upon her face. She gave a smile that he could see was forced.

Her eyeliner had run pale grey trails down her cheeks, and she'd tried to clearly wipe them away, but had done a very poor job. He reached across – glad that he hadn't thought to take off the gloves he'd been wearing while moving the wood and the tiles from the trip to the hardware store – and brushed his hand against her cheek casually to see if he could get one of the stains to wipe away. He could see that she was _forcing_ herself to not flinch away this time. "You're lying."

"Ah'm fine..." she carefully pushed his hand away from her, still cautious.

"What happened? Someone say somethin' to you? Just tell me who it is and I'll-"

"No one said anything..." Rogue assured, her tone nervous, "so you don't have to do anything..."

He supposed after the display he'd just given, she _would_ be reluctant to say anything for fear of a repeat performance.

"Look, if someone did say somethin'..." Remy leaned closer to keep his voice low. "I can deal with it. This is what I'm meant to do...I'm meant to be looking out for my team. Just tell me if someone said or did something...I'll fix it..."

"No one did."

"Are you sure?"

"Ah'm fine. Better than fine, actually."

"But you've been crying..." he said again, "can see where your makeup ran all over your cheeks."

"Ah got caught in the rain," she responded, and it was a blatant lie that he was not falling for. Her hair wasn't wet enough to suggest she'd been out in the rain long enough for it to affect her makeup. _Does she think I'm an idiot? Why won't she just admit something is wrong? _

"If you say so," he decided to let it drop. _She's not gonna open up now. I ruined any chances of gainin' her trust with whatever is bothering her the minute I decided to threaten Pietro with a charged up screwdriver. Not like I can really blame the girl. She probably thinks I'm a psychopath now._

"But thanks..." Rogue said, "for...caring enough to ask."

Remy leaned against the table, he suddenly realised how horrible it was that he cared more about the fact that Rogue had been crying than the turmoil Wanda was going through because she wanted more from him.

_This is...such a mess,_ he thought sadly. _And I practically made most of it._

"Remy, Ah've been wondering..." Rogue began, she drew her breath, "do you maybe wanna get out of here for a little while?"

It caught him by complete surprise that Rogue was asking. He'd have never expected her to ask him out even as an innocent social gesture. _Especially_ after what he'd just done. He blinked. "Uhm..."

"It's just...you're so frazzled lately. You're obviously...you know, overworked and stressed out. You need to get away from here..."

"I'm that obvious, huh?" he asked, he ran his hand along the nearby plank of wood, he could feel the splinters catching on the thin leather of his glove.

"Obvious?" She gave an uneasy laugh, "no...not at all..." her eyes pointed to the hole in the wall where the screwdriver had been.

"Okay...so I'm...frazzled," he agreed, he gave a slight uneasy laugh himself. _Frazzled is an understatement,_ he thought. It felt as if stress were an ugly parasite and it was chowing down big time on his nerves. He hated feeling this way, as if he no longer had control of _any _aspects of his life or his mood.

"You don't have to feel obligated or anything..." Rogue said, her cheeks going red. She lowered her head a little so that her hair would hide it. "Ah just thought...maybe you could use a break...away from this place and these people...since it seems to be drivin' you a little crazy. But if you don't want to go..."

"No, it's not that," Remy admitted, "Seriously...I'd like to get out of this place for a little bit. Really...I would..."

Yes, the thought of getting away from this place, away from _them,_ it was more than appealing. Hanging out with Rogue definitely would be a welcome activity that right now he definitely needed. Even if his problems would _still_ be here when he returned, at least he could escape them for a few hours. He could at least _pretend_ for those few hours that they didn't even exist. Avoidance was a temporary solution indeed, but he needed it.

"Yeah...lets go out. Maybe get some food."

"Whatever you like," Rogue agreed. "Just as long as you get some time to chill out...you really need it."

"I do need it," he nodded, sighing tiredly. "I need to get changed before we go anywhere. I'm filthy...and dripping wet," he gestured, "I also have a few other little things to take care off...but if we could leave in about an hour, is that okay?"

"Sure," said Rogue, sounding almost bright and enthusiastic.

_Least she cares enough to want to get me out of this hellhole and give me a chance to unwind, _Remy thought dully as he watched as Rogue left to go get ready herself – no doubt to reapply her makeup. With a sigh he picked up the screwdriver he'd tossed to the floor and looked at it. He supposed at least it would be a while before Pietro decided to mess with him for a while, and he hoped Lance was smart enough to follow suit.

_Still have to talk to Wanda,_ he reminded himself.

Wanda was in her room listening to music, it was ear-splittingly loud, and not the kind of music Remy appreciated. As he stepped into the room without knocking, she looked up, her eyes seemed to light up.

"What kept you?" she demanded.

Remy reached over to turn the volume on her MP3 player dock down, and sighed, "I had to go to the hardware store for supplies. Then your brother started giving me attitude..." he closed the door with a sigh and then stood against it.

"You look upset," Wanda remarked, her expression suspicious.

"Yeah, I just nearly blew up your brother."

"Oh."

_Any other sister would have been upset with me,_ Remy thought. _Any other sister would have cared enough to ask what happened exactly, and then told me off for what I'd done. _

_ "_So...are we going to talk about this now?" Wanda asked hopefully.

_ She doesn't even care,_ Remy realised._ Is this how obsessed she is? That _this_ thing between us is all she gives a shit about? _

"I've been thinking since last night, about what you've...asked of me..." he began. "And I've figured out how this is going to work out. I want you to just listen and let me say my piece."

"Sit here..." Wanda gestured to the bed.

"I'd rather stand, if it's all the same," Remy responded softly. "Wanda...it isn't going to work out. You know that right? You don't know me, I don't know you."

"I know that..." Wanda said quickly, her voice high, "but I don't _care..."_

The music on the MP3 player skipped tracks in succession six times, Remy assumed it was due to Wanda's high stress level...or a bad MP3 player.

"Hear me out," Remy put his hands up and gestured for her to be quiet. "I sat up all night thinking about this. It occurs to me that _everythin' _you and I seem to like or know about each other starts and ends in here..." he motioned to her bed. "That's it...that's as much as we know."

"A lot of people start off like that," Wanda remarked coldly.

"Right. So it started, but that's...it. It started and never went anywhere. As far as I can tell we have nothin' in common other than between the sheets."

"That's not true."

"Tell me one thing we have in common, Wanda. Just one."

And she didn't seem to have anything that they shared in common.

"See...this is the point I'm making..." Remy folded his arms and pressed his back harder to the door, hoping no one would try to walk in during this discussion. "We're strangers."

"So?"

"So...in order to know if...we'd work as a couple...we need to not be strangers. Get it?"

"How?" Wanda asked, her eyebrow raised.

"We need to stop sleeping together."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard."

"But...why?"

"Because sex is _all_ that this is to either of us. We need to figure out if we can get along as people, as _friends _before we can even consider whether this thing..." he gestured between them both, "Is worth actually looking into."

"But...don't you _want_ to be with me?"

"As far as sex goes, I want to be with you," he admitted truthfully. "You're fun to be with, one of the best lays I've had. But that's it. I don't know if I could be with you any other way...and I think it's because I don't know you...because I've never taken the time to get to know you properly."

Wanda seemed to be mixed between feeling upset and feeling complimented.

"Wanda...this is my proposal. We take a breather. We don't have sex...and we take the time to hang out. _As friends and as team-mates._ To see if we have anything in common. Then we take it from there."

Her eyes fell to the bedsheets, she was deflated, unhappy with this idea. He'd expected that reaction. Wanda didn't like compromise and not being the one to call the shots. And she didn't like it when she couldn't have what she wanted.

"And _just_ as friends," Remy continued. "No kissin', no touchin', no slippin' into each other's rooms for sex. We hang out, we do what normal people do. And see if we're compatible."

"Why do you have to complicate this?" Wanda demanded.

"I didn't complicate it, Wanda. You did. You complicated it the minute you told me you wanted me more than I thought you did," Remy explained. "To be honest...I just don't even understand why the hell you'd want to be with someone like me. You could do better."

"I don't want anyone other than you."

"But _why_?" he asked incredulously.

"I can't explain it. Do you think that anyone can explain why they want anyone that's all wrong for them?" demanded Wanda, the iron headboard of her bed creaked and twisted as her powers began to surface. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to focus. "No one is in _control_ of who they want. It just happens. I don't know what the hell it is about you...I only know that when I started sleeping with you, things got _better_. Being with you is the only thing I _ever_ look forward to..."

"Fine, then you can start looking forward to hanging out...but as friends. And we're going to spend more time working together; I'm gonna train you to fight, and you're going to help me with the building project. Spending time together without the sex will prove whether we can actually have anything or not."

Wanda raised her eyes to his.

"It's this or nothing," Remy stated coolly. _It really is, _he thought. _Other than this plan, I don't know how else to work around this. I don't know how serious she was about how bein' with me is the only thing she's _living_ for. I suppose I could go to her father...tell him that I was seduced, and that she might be suicidal...that she needs psychiatric care again._

He stared at Wanda, who seemed to be contemplating his offer.

_Would Magneto believe me if I told him I thought she might be suicidal?_ Remy wondered. He wasn't even particularly she he believed it himself. She'd given no hints to the fact, other than making an overdramatic comment about his attention being all she lived for.

Wanda sighed. "Fine. When?"

"Starting...Wednesday," Remy responded, "we'll start training then. Maybe on Friday night we'll go to see a movie. But it's not a date. We'll maybe go as a group...maybe, I don't know, you and I and Rogue and Piotr or something..." he shrugged.

"Not Rogue."

"No, you don't get to dictate," Remy pointed a finger at her, "you want me to give anything with us a chance, then it has to be my rules or nothing. Besides, you and Rogue have a lot more in common than you and I do. You should just give the girl a chance...you'd probably make good friends."

"I'll never be her friend."

"Well then that's a pity," Remy opened the door, "'cause if you keep that attitude up, you're going to find yourself in a very lonely place."

"I don't _care_. All I want is you."

"It doesn't work like that..." he headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice high.

"I have stuff to do," he responded, biting his tongue to prevent himself from telling her to mind her own business.

"Why can't we start hanging out _now?_"

"Because I say so," Remy remarked.

"But _why?!"_

He spun around to glare at her, "For nearly a month, you've clicked your fingers, said when and where, you said jump I say how high. Sorry, it ain't gonna be like that any more."

Wanda jumped up from the bed and moved to him, "please, Remy..." she put her hands around his neck to try to pull him down to kiss her.

Roughly, he pushed her away, she stumbled, catching herself clumsily on the footboard of her bed. "What the fuck...did you think I was making all that shit up just now? I said no. It's work at friendship, or _nothin'_. Your call."

"But..." her mouth trembled angrily.

"If you'd rather just _give up completely,_ I'd understand," Remy said lightly, composing himself. "I get that you're an _urgent_ kind of girl, I wouldn't blame you..."

"No..." she shook her head, "I _don't_ want to give up...not on this..." she stepped forward again and reached up to fix the damp collar of the shirt he was wearing.

"Then stop..." he gently took her wrists and moved them away from him, "and give us both some time to breathe and get to know each other. It'll be good for both of us. I promise."

* * *

Rogue stared at herself in the mirror above her dresser as she ran a cleansing wipe across the faint grey streaks eyeliner had left down her face. She had not realised it'd looked so bad, as when she'd asked Magneto if her makeup had left a mess following her crying fit, he'd responded that she looked fine.

_Never trust Magneto to answer something like that,_ she thought.

She was still reeling from what had happened. That brief touch...how incredible it had felt. So unexpected, yet...it provided such _hope._ If Magneto could do this, were there others? Was he the only one who had this odd gift?

One thing occurred to her was that this one incident was progress. Another key to understanding her power somehow. Magneto had told her he would give it much thought, perhaps he would be able to unlock the solution.

Or perhaps not.

There was always the choice of evolution either way, regardless of what Magneto thought he could achieve without it.

As she fixed her eyeliner and reapplied some of the eyeshadow that had wiped away with her earlier tears, she thought to the incident with Remy and Pietro. The whole thing had left her quite queasy. She'd never seen Remy so...enraged, and she had never seen Pietro look so absolutely petrified of anyone.

_I've never seen Pietro let himself get bullied that much by one person,_ thought Rogue. Part of her felt that perhaps it was deserved, while the other part made her feel that Remy had been too hard on him. Of course, Pietro's attitude had deserved some kind of reprimanding, but to be slammed into a wall and pinned with a screwdriver?

How far would Remy go?

"Chere?" came a knock at her door, her door had been left open. Remy stood there, his shoulder against the frame, his clothes had been changed to a clean t-shirt with a band logo, and distressed jeans that were slightly ripped at the knee.

"I'm nearly ready," Rogue said, she reached for her lip liner and pulled the cap off, she leaned forwards a little on the dresser to begin applying it.

Remy sauntered in to wait for her, and he sat upon the edge of her bed, watching her reflection applying the liner with slow precise care. She saw his expression, he looked incredibly worn and dull. A shadow of the person he'd seemed to be when she'd first joined the team just over a week before.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he stated. It'd been something he'd reiterated a lot lately, but judging by what had happened downstairs, Rogue felt differently. Remy LeBeau was not fine.

"You look exhausted."

"Just a little," he responded, he brushed his still slightly damp hair away from his tired eyes to examine his own reflection to see if he looked as exhausted as she'd said.

Rogue reached for her lipstick, and applied it within the lines of her lips, "if you want to maybe just forget this-" she began to offer.

"No...no..." he shook his head, "believe me...I need this. I need to get away from here. It's drivin' me crazy..." he fell back against her cushions and closed his eyes, stretching out on the satin, feet hanging over the bed.

Rogue watched him with a smirk, "it's not this place that's drivin' you crazy, darlin', it's the _people._"

"You got that right, chere," Remy responded with a soft chuckle.

Rogue turned to look at him, having Remy LeBeau lying across her bed in that way seemed almost surreal. She'd have never expected to see this in her lifetime before moving here. "Comfortable, are we?"

"Yeah, incredibly. Fuck the basement, I'm moving you back down there with the spiders and the damp, and I'm takin' this bed," he rolled over and sighed happily.

"The hell you are," Rogue knelt on the bed and grabbed his arm with both of her gloved hands and began pulling on him.

"Just a few more minutes, please. I've never stopped for a minute, today," he pleaded softly, yawning a little.

"I guess Ah should be the one to drive then."

"Yeah, that'd probably be advisable."

Rogue pulled on his arm again, and Remy pulled his arm back, hauling her down unintentionally and causing her to fall across him. He cracked an eye open and looked at her, smirking a little.

"Oh, I see, you're tired too?" he turned and made room for her, "lets just lie here a min, okay? I need a few to regain some energy."

Rogue lay her head against her pillow and looked up at the ceiling, she was aware of her shoulder pressed against his. A fresh, clean fragrance hit her senses and she suddenly turned to stare at him, "Are you wearing cologne?"

"I shaved," he responded, he raised his hand to his chin thoughtfully.

Rogue thought this odd that he'd taken the time to shave just to go out for a little while for maybe food or a coffee. "Are you like...goin' out there on the prowl or somethin'?" she asked suspiciously.

"Nah. I just thought I'd make the effort since you would make the effort for me to fix the mess your makeup was in," he opened his eyes and sleepily looked towards her. "Why were you cryin' anyway?"

"Ah wasn't," she lied.

"You can't kid a kidder, chere."

Rogue's cheeks went hot. What would he have thought about that moment shared with Magneto? Would he think it was foolish that the simple touch had brought so much emotion to the surface and caused her to sob uncontrollably. That it had given her some small shred of hope that she hadn't been able to help herself? She decided to not say anything. Remy wasn't capable of understanding that kind of pain.

She rolled over onto her side, facing away from him and sighed. "Ah just had a bad day is all. This thing with the role of Juliet...you know," she lied. She knew he wouldn't question it further than that.

"I know..." he sighed. "I wish...I wish I had the answer for you. No one deserves what you're having to go through, chere. No one."

She stared at their reflection in the mirror above the dresser, and she saw as Remy put his arm across her and pull her closer to him so that his chest pressed against her back, and their bodies lined up perfectly.

Confused, she stiffened, and looked slightly over her shoulder at him. His eyes were closed, and his expression was oddly serene. As uncomfortable as it made her feel to be touched, and as _afraid_ as she was that something might happen to him, she couldn't deny how nice it felt to even be briefly close to anyone like this, even if it was Remy LeBeau.

For that moment, she could pretend like she was a normal girl, not a mutant who couldn't touch people, but just a normal eighteen year old who might be curling up with the one she cared for. Although she did not care for Remy in the same way she had cared for Scott Summers, she did not want this moment to end.

It was the only time in her life a boy had ever made any advance to hold her in such a close, and almost intimate way. She didn't want to let go of that moment quite yet because part of her wondered if it might be the only once chance she would ever have to know what it felt like to be this close to anyone else without the risk of having her heart broken in the process.

"Remy..." she murmured softly.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"If you want to sleep, you can..." she offered.

"Maybe just for ten minutes..." he sighed near her ear.

They were both asleep in under five.

* * *

**End of Part Fifteen**

* * *

Two parts in one night, but I am enjoying putting this story up. Thanks to those who sent reviews for part fourteen. It was really interesting to see how many people actually like the idea of there being a tender relationship between Magneto and Rogue (whether it be romantic/friendship/mentorship or otherwise).

Oh, as for why I haven't explored (and probably won't explore) the whole WWII origins thing with Magneto's past, I felt it's been a bit too overdone in most mediums I've read/seen. I can't remember if it was really mentioned in the series, but I figure Evolution Magneto is somewhat younger than comics Magneto, or X-Men movies Magneto. Everything seems to be rather different in XME as far as the storylines and timelines go anyway. I see both Professor X and Magneto in Evolution as being middle-aged rather than _old aged, lol._


	16. MagneticAttractionPart16

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Sixteen**

* * *

Remy LeBeau was confused when he awakened after what felt like a very long sleep and deep sleep. With a yawn, he rolled his head, glancing around Rogue's bedroom, completely bewildered as to how he had ended up there. It took quite a few moments to piece together that he'd fallen asleep there, that they'd been about to go out and that he'd wanted just a few moments to lie there and rest.

His bones ached and a few seemed to crack and click as he leaned up a little to look at the young woman sleeping at his side. Rogue was still sleeping soundly, her breathing soft, her body rising beneath his arm. He realised with some surprise that his arm was being held against her stomach by both of her hands. He wondered if perhaps during his sleep he'd tried to move his hand and ended up touching somewhere quite compromising, or perhaps if she'd just simply wanted to hold his arm close to her. Either way, it was surprising to wake up this way.

With a sigh, he lay his head back upon the pillow next to hers and stared at the back of her head, examining the way her streaks had mixed together with her brown hair, making the hair seem fractured with white. A strange calm washed over him; he'd never felt so uncannily relaxed as he did right then with his arm around her.

What was it about Rogue that seemed to soothe him? He couldn't place exactly what it was, only that just being anywhere with her seemed to ease something within him that as of late, had been growing angrier and angrier, and more restless.

He wondered if anyone had walked in and seen this? He'd thought to close her door earlier, but had not locked it from the inside. Anyone could have walked in. _Wanda_ could have walked in for all he knew.

But he doubted she would. Wanda wasn't about to set foot up here now that it was Rogue's room. It was clear she had no interest in getting to know the girl even despite the risk Rogue had taken to help her get home drunk.

Perhaps that was why he felt so safe and comfortable up here with Rogue at this moment. Perhaps that was why he'd been able to relax so much right here. Because he knew Wanda was very unlikely to come up here for any reason, and she wouldn't expect to find him in Rogue's bedroom.

_She'd never look in here, she wouldn't expect me to be with Rogue...she knows I can't get anything from Rogue sexually, so why bother?_

Wanda would have been furious to know that Remy felt that being close to Rogue was almost nice, despite the added element of danger from her powers. He drew her closer and let his nose brush against her hair, and breathed in the scent of her shampoo, a sigh escaping his lips. He thought of the dream where they were Romeo and Juliet and wondered if he'd stayed asleep long enough following the climax of their passion, would he have lay with her like now and held her close?

Probably not.

Laying in bed with a girl like this, close and intimate...it'd never been his style. Occasionally Wanda had lay across him after sex, but only long enough to recover her breath before kicking him out of her bed. He'd have never made a conscious effort to stay and hold her to him, to try and feel her heart beating against his, he'd have never tried to breathe in the scent of her hair or her perfume.

He couldn't even explain what had made him want to hold Rogue that way, other than he'd felt somewhat cold and tired and it'd happened almost naturally, like reaching for a teddy bear, or a pillow.

Except, Rogue wasn't really either of those things.

It surprised him that she hadn't pulled away from him either. He'd have expected her to. She was so anxious around people touching her, so afraid something might go wrong, that she usually flinched away immediately. Yet here she was, gripping onto his arm as if she were afraid he might want to let go.

He would have lay there for several hours more, comfortable, tired. But his stomach growled, and this reminded him that they had made plans to go out, and to eat. Was it still too late to do that now?

_Perhaps I should just get up and leave,_ he thought. _I can go find something to eat and we can make plans another day. _He stared around her room feeling somewhat disappointed. He'd been looking forward to getting away from here, even if it was only for an hour. Anywhere that wasn't the hardware store would be a blessing right now, before the cabin fever caused him to snap out again at someone like Pietro.

"Rogue," he murmured near her ear, "Chere...we fell asleep."

"Hmm?" she mumbled too, she rolled over onto her back, still holding onto his arm.

"Chere...we fell asleep," he repeated, he gave a slight laugh at how so surprising and almost sweet it had been.

She rolled again to face him, and he had to move his head back just a little, or her nose might have brushed his. Her eyes snapped open, and her face flushed, she leaned up and looked around, confused, letting go of his arm immediately almost with an expression that seemed to say she was asking _herself_ what she might have been thinking.

"I had just closed my eyes, I didn't think I'd sleep for..." he took his phone out of his pocket to check the time, "too many hours. Fuck."

"What time is it?" she yawned, she ran her fingers under her eyes to fix any makeup that may have smudged during the nap.

"Just coming up for three."

"Am?" she asked, turning to him and gaping.

"Yes."

"Three am?! It's three am?! She asked, "shit, I have homework! I have lines to memorise!" she gasped.

"It's okay, look...we have a couple of free hours, lets go to the diner, get some food, I'll run lines with you before you have to go to training and school," he offered.

Rogue sighed.

"Come on," he sat up, "You must be starving. I know _I am_."

"But..." she gestured to her clothes, which she'd slept in.

"You don't have to bother changing clothes, or put on makeup, your make up is fine. You look good, come on. Don't worry so much..."

She moved to the mirror to check herself, and she reached for her bag of books, "fine."

"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's not your fault," Rogue said, "it's not like made _me_ fall asleep."

"You probably wouldn't have if I hadn't though," he tried to explain. "I haven't been sleeping well. I moved my old bed into the basement room, but it ain't that comfortable. When I get my new bedroom, gonna get a kingsized one...with memory foam," he muttered.

"What bedroom?" Rogue raised an eyebrow as she walked beside him.

Remy spoke quietly, "above the gymnasium, it's going to be turned into my room."

"Ah guess that's better than a damp basement. That can't be good for your lungs."

"Tell me about it. Every morning I wake up, I feel breathless. I saw a little mold on the wall. Want to get out of there before it starts spreadin' to my lungs," he explained casually as the two of them walked quietly out of the warehouse and pulled the car quietly out of the yard. Remy hoped no one was awake to catch them, as he didn't want to explain why he and Rogue were leaving at three am – not that it was really anyone's business either way. He just didn't want Wanda finding out that he was taking Rogue for breakfast.

_Every time I mention Rogue, Wanda gets this really pissed off look on her face,_ Remy thought as he looked at the wing mirror to see the warehouse disappearing behind him. _She's jealous...although why I don't know? I bet she probably checked my room last night,_ thought Remy. _She probably didn't want to listen about the no sex rule and probably came looking for me_.

In the car, both Remy and Rogue were quiet; Remy smoked two cigarettes on the way there while Rogue hummed along to a Black Sabbath song on the radio. It was an oddly comfortable silence that felt nowhere near as awkward as the previous car journey they had shared. It was just one more thing that he found to compare to his relationship with Wanda...that drive back to the warehouse after forcing her to take the morning after pill in the car had been horribly awkward and uncomfortable for both of them.

The diner was quiet when they arrived there at twenty-five minutes past three. It was an all night place that mostly did business to passing truckers and commuters, and they served the banana blueberry pancakes around the clock. They took the booth they'd sat in before, and they ordered.

"Ah can't believe Ah slept that long," said Rogue casually, still looking sleepy as she unzipped her backpack and searched for her Romeo & Juliet script.

"I'd say the same, except...I'm surprised I didn't sleep longer. I'm still tired," he yawned as he rubbed the corner of his eyes. "Your bed is comfortable. I slept like a baby."

"Yeah, well, don't be getting any ideas. You aren't taking my bed. It's mine now," she warned.

"Maybe I can just crash in it when you're not home."

"I'll lock the door," she responded.

"I can pick locks," he reminded with a smirk.

Of course, he had no intentions of picking any locks she put on her door, or of sleeping in her bed when she wasn't there. It was _her_ sanctuary now, and being in there when she wasn't...it'd just feel wrong. Normally he had no problems with invading someone's space, but Rogue had very little to invade to begin with. Besides, he'd seen it all when he'd switched rooms with her. He'd seen every pair of underwear, every bra, and every pair of socks. He'd seen every single piece of her jewellery, and every book she owned. There was nothing he could learn. As far as he could tell, she didn't even own a diary or something personal to write her thoughts in (although he'd quickly checked when moving her things).

"Oh yeah," she realised. "But don't think about it. If you so much as tamper with my locks..." she trailed off.

"Don't worry, I won't go sleeping in your bed, baby bear," he smirked, "even though it's _just right._"

"You're not exactly goldilocks, either, you know," Rogue commented, she reached over and ruffled his hair roughly.

"No...I'm more of the big bad wolf, really," he touched his own hair thoughtfully with a vague laugh. "Although if I gave you a nice red cape, I don't doubt you'd make a hot red riding hood."

"Yeah, there's a Halloween costume Ah don't want," Rogue rolled her eyes.

"Why not? Red Riding Hood is a sexy costume."

"Yeah, but one of the subjects we were studying in college is fairy tales and the symbolism, and there's this whole thing where Red Riding Hood is supposed to be like a sort of...allegory of awakened sexuality."

"How's that so?" Remy made a face. "She's just a little girl."

"Yeah, but she's braving this scary woodland – total symbolism for adulthood so my Professor says..." Rogue shrugged.

"And the wolf?"

"Well...obviously he's a _man,_ a threat to her sexuality. Wolf is a predator you know. Kind of makes sense."

"I see," said Remy, listening to her.

"Of course, in some versions, she gets eaten, in some tales, she doesn't...but in most of them, the wolf usually dies."

"So...what's the red cape meant to mean?" Remy asked curiously.

"A period, says my professor. She's going out and braving the world with this _new red cloak,_ and it's bright red, so it stands out more than ever..."

"Maybe it's symbollic of a clitoris," Remy said thoughtfully after a moment.

Rogue gave a strange uncomfortable laugh, "excuse me?"

"A red hood," he pointed out.

Rogue stared across the table at him blankly.

"You know durin' arousal, it goes kinda swollen and red, right?"

Her face went scarlet.

"Rogue, you're eighteen, surely you knew that."

"Well..." she looked away, "Ah knew it."

"But it didn't even come up in class durin' the whole Red Riding Hood discussion?"

"It wasn't brought up," Rogue responded, her cheeks flushing scarlet. "Just...you know, the whole red cloak and menstruation thing."

Remy thought of Wanda, and her constantly wearing these deep, dark red colours. To him, she definitely didn't suggest the virginal young woman experiencing first menstruation. "Question," he said.

"Yeah?"

"What would your professor make of Wanda's wearing all the red PVC? Is _that_ meant to symbolise a period?"

"Doubt it," Rogue said after a moment of contemplation. "When Ah look at Wanda and what she wears, it's clear she's...you know, peacocking...or whatever the girl equivalent is."

Remy gave the vaguest laugh, "Peacocking?"

"You know...dressing flashy to attract someone."

"I see," said Remy. "Maybe she has a thing for Lance, or Piotr," he feigned an interested tone, knowing full well that if it _was_ true and she was doing this 'peacocking' thing, then it definitely wasn't for _their_ benefit.

"Piotr's kind of cute, I wouldn't blame her," Rogue admitted.

"He would _never _go for a girl like Wanda. Piotr likes good little girls. The kind of girl you can be proud to have on your arm, you know...kind you take home to momma? He has no interest in girls of Wanda's...calibre."

"If you say so," said Rogue. "Seems to me every guy says they like the nice girl type, but end up sleeping with girls like Wanda."

"She's not so bad, Rogue. She's just fucked up. Can you blame her? You know what her daddy did to her, don't you?"

"He locked her away," said Rogue, she finally located her rolled up script at the bottom of her bag, and she began unfurling it.

"Somethin' happening like that to a girl, it's bound to have...effects," Remy realised. He wondered if perhaps he hadn't been sympathetic enough to Wanda's condition, perhaps he should have been offering her more support, been there for her more, as opposed to just letting her do as she wished until things had escalated. "Sometimes I wonder..." he made a face, suddenly uncomfortable with the thought of what had just crossed his mind.

"What?" Rogue asked.

"Just...sometimes I wonder if maybe something else happened to her while she was under the control of the guys who had her in straight jackets. She's..."

Remy thought of how Wanda liked to be roughly handled, how she liked to be driven to the limit in the bedroom, how it didn't matter how hard or fast he moved against her, she never begged him to stop. How could a girl find so much pleasure in pain without it having stemmed from somewhere? There had to be a reason for it.

"She's what?"

"Never mind," Remy shook his head, "just thinking aloud. So anyway, we should stop dicking around, you have this script thing to read...right?" he watched as she placed her script between them near the menu stand, "where do we start?"

"About here..." she gestured with one hand as she accepted her coffee from the arriving waitress with the other.

Remy cleared his throat, "If I profane with my unworthiest hand," he took his cup from the waitress and spooned sugar into it as he spoke, "this holy shrine...the gentle fine is this; my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss..." he read out. He stopped to look at her, her expression was mixed. She hated even the mention of kiss. He could see it on her face.

Rogue swallowed, she licked her lips, then spoke. "Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims do not touch. And palm to palm is holy palmers kiss..."

As she spoke the word kiss he heard the crack of her voice, and she looked down uncomfortably at the table.

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?" he asked, reading from the script.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer..." she responded, without glancing towards the script.

"O, then dear saint, let lips do what hands do; They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn into despair..." he lazily read, he deliberately made his accent much thicker and unintelligible, hoping that it would lighten the moment. The talk of lips and kisses was getting to her, and he saw her shifting uncomfortably, growing tenser by the moment.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake," she frowned at him, apparently not amused.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged..."

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took..."

"Jesus this is a lot of fucking crap..." Remy responded suddenly, noting that the further they spoke, the more upset she seemed to be getting. These lines were making things worse.

"Remy..." Rogue warned.

"I never studied this in school. Although to be fair...was rare I ever went to school anyway. They die in the end, right?" He picked up the script and flipped through it.

"Yes."

"That's a pretty depressing ending. Why couldn't your class have put on some happy show? With a good ending? Like...uhm...okay I don't know many musicals or plays or anything," he rolled his eyes. "Just...this...this is depressing," he waved the script with a frown.

"But in the end, they get to be together, and their death is what makes the families see that they shouldn't have been trying to keep them apart. It's a positive thing in the end for the families because they end their feud."

"It's still a shitty ending."

"How would you have ended it?" Rogue asked.

"I don't know. I'd have to read it. If I ever had time to read," he shrugged. Their food arrived and he grabbed the syrup jug and loaded his plate. "Everyone would probably live happily ever after...Romeo and Juliet would have lots...and lots...of sex...and their parents wouldn't give a fuck because it's none of their business anyway."

Rogue glanced over the script casually as she took a bite of her pancakes. "Ah really think today Ah should just speak to my professor and ask to step down."

"You haven't spoken to him about the issue with the physical contact yet?"

"No. Ah'm not sure how to go about it. Ah know he isn't really _fond_ of us Mutants...and Ah think he'd probably find some way to get me kicked out of the class entirely."

"Just...make up something then...say you have some kind of contagious skin condition that means you can't touch anyone. You can always find a way to fake the contact somehow."

"It'd be better if Ah just let someone else take the part."

"But you're great at this role," Remy said, "not that I understand it all, really, but...I mean...you read it off really well, you're convincing. Hell, all that talk of lips and kisses got me pretty worked up."

"Yeah, sure," she smiled wanly at him.

"Oh, I promise you, totally worked up, you should feel my heart, it's goin' boom all over the place. Wanna feel?"

"Ah'll take your word for it," Rogue laughed softly as she dug her fork into her food.

"Have you spoken any to your friends in the X-Men?" Remy changed the subject, seeing that the issue was starting to upset her further. Besides, he'd been wondering if she'd seen any more of Wolverine since the last they'd met.

"Not really," Rogue admitted. "Ah've thought about going to visit, but...Ah don't know...Ah just...Ah still think it's too soon."

"If you put it off too long, you'll end up feeling more and more awkward with them when you do go home."

"When Ah go home?" Rogue raised her eyes to him, "What do you mean _when Ah go home_?"

Remy mentally kicked himself. He supposed in the end, he should just be honest. "You're bound to figure out you made a mistake joining the Acolytes eventually...you're gonna go back to the X-Men and leave us in the dust which is where we probably belong. You know back with your friends is where you'd be happiest."

"Ah'm perfectly happy where Ah am now," Rogue explained.

"Is that why you were _crying_ yesterday?"

"Ah wasn't crying," Rogue reiterated, she squinted her eyes at him a little. "Ah got caught in the rain, Ah told you."

"Yeah...okay," he decided to play along.

"And Ah am happy where Ah am."

"Magneto is going to help you, right?"

She lowered her fork, and held the end of the table, she swallowed back some kind of strange lump of emotion in her throat, then said, "Remy...why do you keep bringing that up?"

"I just...I like to know what's what."

"Even if Ah was here to get help from Magneto...it's...it's none of your business."

"I know," he took another bite, "But...we're friends. Maybe you should tell me...maybe it'd help get things off your chest."

"Ah don't need to get things off my chest," she admitted.

"Everyone needs to get somethin' off their chest," Remy confessed thoughtfully.

"Oh?" she asked pointedly, "And what would you like to get off yours?"

"That I am _way_ in over my head with everything right now," he shrugged, being honest. "That I feel really bad about the way I handled things yesterday with Pietro. Not that I'm _sorry_ I did what I did but...he deserved it. But..."

"But you wished you'd been more diplomatic."

"Yes," said Remy. "Truth is though...Magneto would have been more than happy with how I handled it, even if Pietro is his son. He wanted me to be that way with them...tough...not giving an inch, you know?"

"You still kind of acted like a bully."

"I don't like to do the whole bullying thing...but sometimes it's very little choice in the matter. This is a _jungle_, chere. And it's _survival. _The weak get eaten. Bully, or be bullied...get it?"

"Ah get it, Ah just think...Ah dunno, you were _way_ too rough. And it freaked us out. It freaked _me _out."

"I didn't mean it to happen, it just did. I'm sorry. I'll try to act better next time."

"Okay," Rogue nodded.

"So...I've shared. Aren't you going to now?"

Rogue gritted her teeth.

"What do you have to lose by telling me? Do you think I'm going to go share it with everyone else? You think I'm the kind of guy who tells people the secrets of others?"

"No," Rogue answered after a moment. "I just...I don't see why you even _care_."

"Because we're meant to be friends."

"A friend wouldn't push me for the answer."

"No, a friend would push you even _further _for it," Remy corrected. "A friend would want to _know_ what it is you want. Friends share. Why not share with me? You think I won't understand?"

"Maybe."

"Come on. Try me."

Rogue looked away stubbornly, "fine. Yes. Magneto is going to help me."

"How?" Remy asked, already knowing the answer, having been warned well in advance by Wolverine.

"He's going to build a machine to accelerate the evolution of my genes...so that just maybe my powers will be manageable," Rogue responded; he could hear the tiniest bit of excitement in her tone.

"Isn't that cheating?" asked Remy, he sipped his coffee, keeping his eyes on hers.

"Does it matter if it is? Trying everything Ah can think of hasn't helped, the Professor hasn't been able to help me. Ah'm out of options."

"You're eighteen, you've barely _begun_ looking at options."

"Ah'm not gonna waste my life looking for options and not living life the way Ah want to. Ah've lost out already. This should be the best time of my life right now. College is meant to be where people have relationships, and flings, and dances, and dates, and be able to go out in short sleeves without wondering about who's gonna get hurt!"

Remy listened to her, noting the tension building in her voice.

"Ah don't expect you to get it, Remy, because you've had your fun, and you continue to have it. You can go out, find a girl, sleep with her, and be happy."

"Can I?" he snorted. It seemed to him like that was an impossibility these days. He wasn't sure _happiness_ had ever been an obtainable commodity in his life. Contentedness maybe, but not true happiness.

"Yes, and Ah know you have over and over again. And you'll continue to do that. Ah can't."

"I just...I don't want to see you doing something like this if there might be a better way. You don't know what something like that could do to you."

"Yes, Ah do. Ah've already weighed the options out, and the consequences are _worth_ what Ah would gain in the long run."

"If you say so."

"Ah know so."

"You know, just a few more years of working on your powers may be all it takes," he reasoned. "It's not like you're trying to work towards gaining the ability to be with a specific person or anything, is it?"

"No," she replied.

"So, you're definitely over Cyclops?"

"Ah have been for a long time," she responded; the look on her face told him that she was only partly convinced of this herself.

"This...isn't...for him?"

"No, of course not. Its...not for anyone. It's just for _me_. So that _Ah _can be happy."

"You told me you were already happy," Remy pointed out.

"As happy as someone like me can be for now," she shrugged.

"Rogue, do you _really _need this?"

"You tell me?" Rogue frowned.

Remy opened his mouth, but words did not come. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer that.

"Say for instance...you and me...we had something?"

"Something..." he repeated, "like...?"

"That you figured out somewhere along the lines that...Ah don't know, maybe you liked me?" she shrugged, "or that Ah liked you, and you were into that?"

"Okay..." he was prepared to listen.

"Would _this..." _Rogue reached across and lay her gloved hand across his, "be enough?"

He stared down at their hands, slowly he turned his hand beneath hers to curl his fingers around hers gently; he didn't have an answer for question really. If he loved her would it matter? If he _wanted_ her, would he push for it? Could he have a _platonic_ relationship with a woman?

"No kissing, no hugging, no...messing around...no sleeping together...?" she shrugged. "Just...this..." she squeezed his hand.

And oddly that one moment of holding her hand felt strangely more intimate than the things he'd been doing with Wanda all month. He felt closer to Rogue in that moment than he had ever felt to any girl he'd slept with.

_Maybe I am capable of something platonic, isn't that what this is now? _He asked himself.

Memories of the dream flooded back, of how it'd felt to be with the Rogue, how nothing had ever felt _that_ good in real life. Platonic relationships were all fine and good, but sex like that? Could he do without that? Without knowing if he'd _never _feel anything like that?

Maybe he'd manage to abstain for a few weeks, maybe even a month or two...but...for eternity?

He stared at Rogue's anxious expression and he felt a strange pang of anxiety; perhaps he was capable of friendship, but not having a romantic relationship so limited. He'd be constantly wanting and _needing_ to push it further. For him to _accept_ being with a relationship with that kind of limitation, it would need to be _exceptional._

"Well...?" she asked.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, "I guess it'd depend how strongly I felt. It doesn't really matter how I feel though...it's how you feel."

"Ah thought you'd have better input than that," Rogue confessed.

He didn't want to offer her the better input, it wasn't what she wanted to hear, and it definitely wasn't what Wolverine was _paying _him to to tell her either.

_Stick to the plan, tell her what Wolverine wants you to tell her. Put her off doing this._ "All I can say is that...I think you can overcome it on your own. I got faith that you can do it...just...gonna take some work, is all."

"That's nice of you to say," she said softly, looking slightly deflated

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed her gloved knuckles tenderly, keeping his eyes upon hers the whole while, hoping his charm and appeal were enough to make her _believe_ he thought she could overcome her powers without Magneto's help.

Rogue gave a nervous laugh and pulled her hand away. "Okay, Romeo. Lets finish this food. Ah need to get back and get some studying done before we get to training."

* * *

**End of Part Sixteen**

* * *

Thank you to everyone for the thoughtful reviews. Especially the long ones where I at least get to see that the story has some people thinking. Always excites me so much to hear your thoughts! As always, thanks for all the kind things that you have all said. Makes my day. I can't wait to get more parts uploaded (believe me, I'm having to hold back on posting the next 8 parts I have written, but I'm trying to pace it out a little, so as not to overwhelm everyone, lmao).

Love you all 333


	17. MagneticAttractionPart17

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Seventeen**

* * *

When Wednesday came, Remy kept his promise. Reluctantly, he took Wanda out into the field just in front of the woodlands, in order to teach her some basic fighting moves. It was his attempt at getting to know her, and spending time with her, without it turning into anything remotely sexual.

Unfortunately for him, he couldn't stop thinking about sex regardless.

He'd had another one of the Romeo & Juliet dreams about Rogue; another intense and fantastic dream that had left him breathing hard when he had awakened, and left him with yet another warm and sticky mess beneath his sheets. He wished he hadn't chosen Tuesday night to sleep nude.

Helping Wanda stretch, and then teaching her how to tackle him wasn't helping take his mind off of sex. In fact, it only left him wanting it even more, and he would find himself constantly having to pull his hips back from her in a desperate attempt to hide the standard of his excitement, which had been near constant throughout the day. If she had noticed, she said nothing, but he was almost positive she _must _have felt the hardness against her back a few times.

Wanda was not a good student, leaving Remy kicking himself for offering to train her and teach her some of the basics of what he knew. She would was constantly questioning why she should do what he told her, and would frustratedly lament why her slight deviations from his instructions were messing her attempts to overpower him so much.

He had to keep himself in check, maintain a calm tone as he explained himself again and again, all the while wanting to yell at her to just _listen_, to pay attention. As she stood there soaked in sweat, trying to wrestle him to the grass, he couldn't help but notice she'd chosen to not wear a bra today (not that she ever had really made any efforts to wear one in all the time he'd known her), and how her tanktop clung to her so tightly he could practically see through it. Why had she chosen this _one_ day to wear white?

_Fuck this friendship shit, throw her against the tree, spread her and take her already, this is driving you crazy,_ he told himself as he locked his arm around her chest, and wrestled with her hard to the ground, waiting impatiently for her to get him away from her.

_Stop thinking about it, you don't want her, you never did. You want sex with her, that's it. You need to move on...you definitely_ want _to move on_,_ and she needs to get that. She'll start figuring out we have nothing in common once we start spending time together and I start pissing her off_.

"Wanda, come on, you can do this. You've pinned me before, you're _stronger_ than this. Stop being a fucking wimp!" he gripped her arms hard and pinned her leg with his.

"I'm not a wimp!"

"Then stop acting like one! You can't always rely on your powers to get you out of a jam...so start usin' your head and your body!" he growled near her ear.

"I am! You're holding me too hard!" she gasped.

"You think an enemy is going to be gentle?! Stop being such a little girl and fucking beat me already."

She fought him, she was a wildcat that tried to scratch and elbow and punch; the expression in her eyes spoke of her frustration with both being unable to beat him _and _being abstinent. He could read her like a book, those crazed eyes told him she found this exercise as highly erotic as he did.

_Couldn't have just taught her how to play poker, or took her for ice cream, could you? _He winced. _You had to pick the one thing that would put you in close proximity with her and give you more than ample opportunity to grind up against her. _

He had to wonder if somehow subconsciously he'd tried to sabotage this attempt at keeping his distance from her.

Eventually, somehow, Wanda managed to catch him in the eye with her fist, and he felt the explosion of pain that made him step back enough that gave her enough chance to throw herself on him, pin him, and push his own bo-staff against his chest. "Happy now?"

_Not really,_ he thought miserably, the area between his legs was throbbing hard, and he was so very aware of just how very close she was to him that he could have closed the gap and gave them both what they ultimately wanted and probably needed. "You really punched me," he sucked in a breath of pain, wondering if he was going to end up with a black eye or not.

"So? You expect me to baby you?"

_Any girl who cared would have,_ thought Remy as he lay there in the grass.

She reached down to his groin and grabbed him, "you've been worked up this whole fight," she said, she leaned in near his ear.

Quickly, reluctant to let this go further despite his sexual frustration, he rolled her over, pinned her as well as he could, and remarked, "no."

"I know you want it."

"Doesn't matter what I want. We're not going down that road. I told you. No sex. We're going to try to be friends. See how it goes."

"Just...once?" she asked hopefully with a knowing smirk, she raised her thigh so that it brushed against him.

He withheld a moan, let go of her arms, then got up, brushing some of the damp grass away from his pants, "I'm done for the day."

"This has to be killing you. You haven't had sex for _four days."_

He winced at this, had it been four days already?

"You still jerk off, right?" she asked, smiling a little, she bit into her bottom lip.

"None of your business," he replied coolly. Who had time to do that with everything that needed doing around the warehouse and with the team? Finding five minutes alone was hard enough, and by the time he got to bed, he was too tired to even keep his eyes open. Other than his second dream about Rogue and the resulting nocturnal emission, he hadn't really found time to bother with personal gratification.

"God, you really aren't jerking off," Wanda laughed almost hysterically.

"Don't bother wasting time thinking about the stuff I do in private. I don't ask you what you do in the privacy of the shower or your own room," he retorted bitterly.

"Do you want me to _tell_ you about them?" she teased.

"No, I don't," he answered truthfully, his mind racing with thoughts of it already.

"It's getting to you already, I can _see it,"_ Wanda said, her voice thick, like slow trickling honey. "You've never gone this long without it. At least not since I've known you," Wanda got onto her knees and reached for the waistband of his jogging pants. He pushed her hands away quickly.

"I said no."

"Why hold back? This is stupid..." Wanda remarked frustrated, "I know you want this. I want it too..."

"I said _no," _he pushed her back roughly; she fell back to the grass somewhat clumsily.

As Wanda leaned up, Remy saw her expression was slightly dejected and hurt. She didn't like being told no. "What the fuck-" she began, but he interrupted quickly.

"I'm not in the fucking mood, all right? I don't _care_ if I have a hard on. Just because it's _there_ doesn't mean I want nor _have _to use it."

Wanda chewed her lip momentarily, watching him. He could practically see the cogs of her insane mind working as she tried to come up with a reason or a catalyst that he should just give in right now. "I'll let you put it _anywhere_."

"What the hell is _with_ you, Wanda?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, sounding almost innocent, she looked up the sky, her blue eyes showed every bit of her frustration, she gave a sigh.

"Don't play games with me."

Wanda gave a strange high pitched laugh suddenly, "why not? You like when I play games. I know it gets you all...hot...and bothered..." she bit her lip again and gave a low throaty laugh. "And you like playing games yourself. In the laundry room, that game...now _that_ was special..." she closed her eyes as if she were savouring the memory of it.

Remy shuddered, feeling quite disturbed by how excited it seemed to make her, the thought of being taken that way.

"You knew what you wanted that day..." Wanda drew her breath and exhaled slowly, "And you took it. If I'd said no...if I'd tried to get away...if I'd fought you, you'd still have never stopped, because it was _in _you. You need it just like I do."

He stepped back a little from her, his blood running oddly cold. "No. That's _not _how it was."

"Wasn't it?" she raised an eyebrow. "Rough, and abusive...and commanding...and dominating..." she gave a little teasing moan, "you left marks on me, that day, Remy LeBeau."

"Are you accusing me of-?" he clenched his fists; his heart felt like it might stop from the horror of such a suggestion. Had it really been like that? He remembered her being _very_ willing but what if she hadn't been? _No. You'd never...that isn't in you. _

"I'm not accusing you of _anything_," she smirked, "except of being _just_ like me. You know what you wanted and you took it, and nothing was ever going to stop you. Me and you are the same, and that's why we shouldn't stop. You need me and I need you. So why not stop this bullshit holdin' back and just fuck already?"

"Why do you keep fighting me on this?" Remy demanded, "Why can't you just accept the deal we made that we would be friends first and think about sex later if it works out?"

"Because I want you _now_..." Wanda remarked simply. "And I know you want me now too..."

And strangely, he did.

_No, no, no. Do not give in. It took you long enough to get to this point, you are _not_ gonna take a step back now!_

"Go take a cold shower," Remy shook his head in disgust at her. He could not understand why she would degrade herself so badly by throwing herself at him like this when he'd already made it clear he didn't want to be with her. Her desperation was truly starting to disturb in ways he had never expected it to, and her accusation of what he _may _have been capable of hurt more than he could really express.

_That's why you can't be with her again, you can't let yourself become that person. She brings out something in you that just ain't healthy. Better to keep away from it altogether._

He left her alone in the field, wiping the sweat from his brow and sighing unhappily. The warehouse was still in chaos, although the building project had made much more progress. The gymnasium walls were up, and inside, Lance and Pietro were doing a far better job of plastering the walls than they had of measuring the beams to support the walls.

Remy didn't praise them for their efforts though. He wasn't in the mood for speaking at all right now, as he was too caught up in the angst of Wanda's advances and the stress of his position in the team. Instead of praising the workers who for once were doing a decent job, Remy simply passed by them to head towards the male shower room, intent on having a cold shower. He hoped it would be enough to kill the problem for now. If only the water could wash away the thoughts too.

* * *

Rogue stared ahead at Piotr Rasputin, who was sitting on a chair opposite her in Magneto's 'office' room. She drew her breath, "Ah'm not really comfortable with this," she admitted. Magneto was standing behind her, and he had put both hands on her shoulders gripping onto her as if trying to hold her there.

"When it comes to our powers, there is little room for comfort or choice."

Regardless of whether he was right or not, Rogue wasn't comfortable with the idea of using Piotr as a crash test dummy for her powers. She wasn't sure how much punishment the hulk could take. Why had he even volunteered himself for this? When had Magneto asked him? Had Magneto explained the situation to him properly? Had he explained what it was he wanted the boy to do? Was Piotr's grasp of English good enough to know what was being asked here?

"Now...I want you to clear your mind...do not stare at him. Find a space, an inner calm..."

_Easier said than done,_ thought Rogue, feeling very unhappy. "How sure are you that he can take this kind of punishment?" Rogue glanced over her shoulder at Magneto.

"I am fine," Piotr stated coolly.

"Colossus has a strong constitution," explained Magneto, "the most likely here to be able to withstand repeated exposure to your gift."

Rogue swallowed and faced Piotr again, "You should clear your mind of anythin' you don't want to share with me."

"I have nothing to be shamed of," Piotr assured her.

"But still...Ah'll be able to access your memories, your thoughts, and feelings...not just your powers," Rogue explained. "Anythin' you don't want me to know about you...or see...then you should try to be rid of it before Ah touch you..." she tried to explain.

"I understand this. Don't worry, I trust you."

"Are you _sure_ you want to sit here and take this?" Rogue asked, feeling dizzy with nerves, and sick with the strain that always came prior to knowing she'd have to use her abilities on someone else.

"Yes, I am sure," said Piotr.

Magneto spoke up, "Piotr knows the consequences."

"Fine," she drew her breath.

Magneto put his bare hands upon her temples, it still caught her by surprise when he touched her, and she still found it so hard to believe that he could do so without being harmed by her gifts. Piotr on the other hand, she was positive would not be so lucky.

"Clear your mind," Magneto said tenderly to her, "think not of what will happen to him, or what you will see. Think not of the power that will surge into you."

Rogue tried to clear her mind, but it was difficult to do so. So many questions, so many concerns, and so many things in her life needed attention and right at that moment, everything seemed to amplify itself as if to spite her. When she reached out to brush her fingers tentatively against the large Russian's bare hand, his memories seemed to rush into as if she'd fallen into a pit of them.

His sister, his family, of a simple uncomplicated life on the farm, of hard labour, and hardship, but a good, honest, clean life that was nothing like the life he had come to in America.

Rogue yanked her hand away with a cry, her stomach churning as the boy winced and grabbed his hand away, holding within his other fist as if she'd burned him with her touch. He looked weakened already, his blue eyes seemed to have trouble focusing. "Ah can't do this!" Rogue lamented.

"Yes, you _can,_" Magneto assured, "again."

Piotr shakily reached out his hand again to her, and Rogue touched him. Again, the memories flooded to her, more vivid, more dangerous. The hardship had turned to nightmares; his abilities found out by a small community of people who did not understand, and he was outcast. His family falling into masses of debt after his departure, and him having to work every job he could find and every hour god sent just to afford money to send home so the family could avoid the foreclosure on their land.

Rogue pulled her hand away again, closing her eyes tightly, trying to force the images out of her head, "It won't work!"

"You will do it again and again until it will..."

Piotr put his hand out, she could see he was pretending to feel fine, to feel strong and unaffected, but the unfocused look in his eyes was becoming more and more obvious.

A second, a third, a fourth minuscule touch, and his memories became hers. Memories of how he came to work for Magneto, of times he and Remy had spent together on the recent building project, memories of the people he missed in Russia.

"I feel dizzy," said Piotr, after the fifth attempt.

"We need to stop. He can't take much more..." Rogue stood up quickly as she pulled on her gloves, "he can't take much more, look at him!"

"He knew these risks."

"Don't you care?" Rogue asked in dismay as she knelt before Piotr and took his face in her gloved hands, lifting his head so she could look at him. "He's struggling to stay conscious."

"I requested his help and he accepted."

"Out of the goodness of his heart?" Rogue asked.

"He will be generously compensated."

Rogue realised where that compensation would go. To Russia. Now that she had seen his memories, she understood why someone like Piotr had stuck with the Acolytes and _not_ moved onto the X-Men. He needed money, not education and understanding. "you _used_ him," Rogue commented coldly.

"He come to _me_ to ask if there was a way for him to earn extra income, Rogue. I did not force his hand. I made an offer, which he accepted."

Piotr finally spoke up, "is fine, Rogue...he did not force me."

Rogue stood up, and pulled on his arm, "come on, you need to rest..."

Piotr got onto his feet, shaky and swaying. He put his arm around Rogue's shoulders and she held onto him as best she could as she led him out of Magneto's office without another word to the man. Rogue was positive under normal circumstances, she'd have never been able to support the large Russian with her smaller, lithe frame, but Piotr's powers included strength and she had absorbed plenty of it.

As they moved out into the main warehouse, Remy was just coming out of the male showers room, wearing nothing but a bathrobe, a towel around his neck, his hair slicked back giving him an almost mutant-like Hugh Heffner appearance that Rogue might have found comical under any other circumstances.

At once, Remy noticed the strange queasy look on Piotr's face and that Rogue was practically holding him.

"What the fuck-?" Remy asked immediately.

Rogue sighed, "help me get him to his room."

Remy took Piotr's arm around his other shoulder and they moved him through the warehouse to the small cupboard room which was Piotr's own. Piotr had passed out before he'd even hit his mattress. Rogue moved over to pull the covers over him just in case his body temperature had dropped during the draining process.

"What the hell happened to him?"

"Magneto made me drain him...repeatedly."

"What? Why?"

"An experiment to see if I could force my powers to work by clearing my mind."

Remy made a face, "that's..." he seemed to have no words for this.

"Ah knew it wasn't going to work. Ah _told_ him that it wasn't going to."

"Why the hell did you let him talk you into it?" Remy leaned over Piotr's unconscious body, he pried one of the boy's eyes open and stared into it. Rogue wondered exactly what it was Remy might be looking for.

"It's part of our agreement before Ah go through the evolution process," Rogue explained. She sat on the edge of Piotr's bed, near his legs, which were dangling off the end of his single bed.

"And you just let him bully you into knocking Piotr out?" Remy demanded unhappily.

"Ah didn't let him bully me."

"Sure seems like you did."

"Piotr volunteered himself!" Rogue hissed.

"He probably didn't know what you were going to do. Jesus, Rogue, look at him! He's out cold!"

"What the fuck is your problem?" Rogue demanded angrily, feeling that Remy was picking on her when his issue _should_ have been with Magneto.

"My problem? You've knocked one of my team!" Remy gestured to Piotr, "how long is this going to last?" he demanded. The voice he was using with her wasn't all _that _different from the tone he'd used on Pietro when he'd pinned him to the wall on Monday.

"Ah don't know, a few hours?" Rogue responded, unsure. She felt tears brimming her eyes and immediately hated herself for showing it.

"Are you this _desperate _to see your powers cured that you don't care who gets hurt in the process?" Remy asked of her coldly.

"Ah...Ah...Ah'm sorry..." she stammered meekly. She didn't like being yelled at, especially when she'd only done as she was told. While common sense told her she should have known better, the part of her desperate for help told her to just do whatever Magneto said, that he _would_ help her.

"Christ, are you gonna cry now?" Remy asked, the angry expression falling from his face a little.

She looked away from him, pursing her lips together and lowering her head so her hair would hide her face. She felt one of the tears spill and trickle down her face and she quickly moved her gloved fingers up to brush the tear away before he could see it. S

Remy sighed and sat beside her on the bed, forcing Piotr's legs back a little as he did so. He took a deep, slow and deliberate breath, then said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm having...a rough day..." he swept his hand through his damp hair frustratedly.

Rogue could say nothing. What _could_ she say? She simply kept looking away from him, feeling incredibly lost, and sad and extremely beaten by his yelling at her. She'd _never_ had him yell at her like this. She wondered if this was how Pietro or Lance felt whenever they ended up on the end of one of Remy's yelling fits.

"I didn't mean to take it out on you..." he said, softening his voice, although she could hear it was incredibly forced. "I don't like yelling at anyone..."

She still didn't respond. She was beginning to disbelieve this claim of his that he had made several times now since the day she'd joined the team.

"Rogue..." he touched her knee with his bare hand and she smacked it away, feeling quite angry with him for even trying to take that liberty given the way he'd just spoken to her.

"Don't," she warned.

"Come on, chere, you know I didn't mean it."

"Don't speak to me..." she stood up, "Never has anyone spoken to me the way you just did..." she headed for the door.

"Chere, come on, calm down, okay?" he begged of her, he followed and caught her halfway across the warehouse floor, just as she was approaching the stairs to the catwalk of her room.

"Don't call me _chere,_" Rogue warned, she felt more tears escape. "You don't call someone that after yelling like that and makin' them feel like _shit_."

"Rogue..." he tried as she began her way up the stairs.

Rogue turned to glare at him through her blurred tears, "Don't! You're supposed to be my friend! But that's...that's really the way you see this...that Ah'm this...this selfish bitch who doesn't care about anythin' but gettin' what I want!"

"I never said that..."

"Oh?! What do you think _desperate _was meant to imply?"

"I didn't mean it that way...I was just...look, calm down and lets talk about this rationally."

"No," Rogue retorted coldly as she took off further up the stairs, "stay the hell away from me, _Gambit. _If Ah see your ass near my room, I'll absorb you too. Ah'm _that desperate_ after all."

After slamming the door to her room, she crumbled to a heap on the floor and burst into tears, hating Magneto, hating Remy, and most importantly, hating herself.

Remy LeBeau didn't even wait to get dressed before he stormed into Magneto's office room following his argument with Rogue. He couldn't explain where the anger had come from, only that it _had_ come. Seeing Piotr stumbling about the place liked a sedated giant had been disturbing, and seeing the look on Rogue's face when he'd spoken without thinking had been even more so.

Magneto glanced up from what he was doing, which was sitting at his desk working on a small piece of machinery; he didn't like being disturbed and it showed in his cool blue eyes as he glared at Remy. "I heard no knock," said Magneto.

"That's 'cause I didn't," Remy sucked up his nerves like soda through a straw.

"I don't wish to be disturbed," Magneto responded, sounding almost bored already. "I'm very busy, and I have a lot to do today and I could do without the interruptions."

"I don't care," Said Remy.

"I am not in the mood to listen to the buzzing of the bees in your bonnet, Gambit," Magneto warned irritably.

"Too bad," said Remy, full of bravado, hoping that it wasn't himself who was about to be pinned to a wall for insubordination. "What...the...fuck..." he gestured over his shoulder. "Rogue absorbing Piotr? Are you trying to kill him?!"

"Piotr has a strong constitution. He is more than capable of withstanding Rogue's powers for extended periods."

"Clearly. That's why he's out cold." Remy growled.

"He is being compensated handsomely for his participation."

"I don't care! You don't offer up your own team to be guinea pigs!"

Magneto slammed his hand against the desk furiously, "He came to me. He is looking for a way to earn money quickly and I gave him an opportunity to make some, which he gladly took."

"You took advantage," Remy spat, "You had him over a barrel! You took advantage of the fact he's desperate, of the fact that he needs money to sell to his poverty-stricken family back in Russia!"

"I did no such thing. I did not twist his arm. There are other ways he could have found money. He took the first opportunity offered, he did not ask if there was another."

"Of course he didn't, because you made him one he couldn't refuse," Remy said knowingly, understanding full well how Magneto worked.

"Are you quite finished?" Magneto asked.

"No. I want to know why the hell you forced Rogue to even go through with absorbing Pete repeatedly. You know how she feels about her powers."

"This is something she must overcome."

"To fix her powers?" Remy demanded with a snort of disgust.

"She told you?" asked Magneto casually, seeming ever more uninterested in even speaking with Remy at this moment.

"She told me what you plan to do for her. And you seriously believed that calming her mind was going to help her control her powers that easily?"

"No," Magneto replied coolly, "I did not. I understood perfectly that it wouldn't work."

"Then why-?!" Remy gaped, "why lie to her? Why put her through that? Why put Piotr through that when you knew all too well that it wouldn't?!"

"To harden her," Magneto responded.

Remy repeated the words, utterly baffled, "to...harden her...?"

"I offer absolutely no guarantees that evolving her powers will unlock her potential in controlling them. Evolving her powers may make her stronger, but it may never give her full control. Rogue needs to be prepared should this occur. She only grows ever more fragile, not _stronger. _She needs to be hardened, to grow cold to it, so that she feels _nothing_. Only then will she be prepared should her evolution be unsuccessful, and only when she no longer _cares_ will she find a way to unlock what is preventing her from controlling her powers."

In disgrace, Remy shook his head, "you can't do that. It's like trying to freeze the petal of a rose with dry ice. You won't make her tougher...you'll just make her _more_ fragile. You'll end up breaking her completely!"

"My intentions are _not_ to break her."

"Then you gotta rethink your approach," Remy folded his arms.

"Why do you care, Remy? What do you have to gain?"

"She's one of the most powerful members of my team, and she's going to make a hell of a good second-in-command some day," Remy lied. In truth, the thought hadn't occurred to him at all until this moment, but he'd needed something believable that Magneto would be half invested in believing. "She's got the experience, she's got the abilities, she knows how to fight, and she knows the field in and out. She'd probably make a far better leader than I do," he added.

Magneto looked at him curiously, thinking about this.

"I _need _her in tact. I don't want her 'hardened'. Rogue doesn't need a thick skin, boss, and if she did, she'd find a way to grow one herself and not have it forced upon her. So you gotta find a different method of helping her..."

Magneto snorted, "you don't know what you're talking about," he scoffed.

"Don't I? You think your _last _example of tough love worked out well?" Remy asked, "Do you want Rogue to end up like Wanda?"

Magneto straightened up suddenly, his blue eyes met with Remy's with a strange, almost frightened realisation. Remy had expected by now to have been thrown against the wall, pinned there by some kind of projectile metal that Magneto always seemed to have plenty of around the room.

Instead, Magneto had that look that said he had completely absorbed what Remy had said, and was considering it.

"You asked me to be leader," said Remy, "And here I am, leading, trying to do what's best for the people you put me in charge of. Rogue is one of them. I'm saying lay off, help her another way, and _don't_ try to toughen her up and make her to be someone she's not. And if I _ever_ find out you're bullying the team into experiments..." Remy shook his head.

"Bullying," laughed Magneto, "you are going to stand there and accuse _me_ of bullying? I heard what you did to my son a few days ago, Gambit. Do you think you're in _any _position to dictate to me about bullying people?"

Remy stood his ground, "discipline and bullying are two different things entirely," he retorted.

"Your team have a hard time agreeing with this view."

"If you don't want me leading, then fire me," Remy dared. "Let your son run the team, or let Wanda...see what happens...see how long it takes before someone is killed, or before the entire world things you're back out to cause chaos as terrorists."

Magneto's face fell, his expression darkened.

"I've made my requests," Remy stated, "find a _nicer_ way to help Rogue deal with her powers, and leave my team out of your experiments. Those are my conditions."

"Is that all?"

"That's all," Remy uttered. And with that, he took off out of the room.

* * *

**End of Part Seventeen**

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed this instalment. Thanks to everyone as usual for their kind reviews and comments. Makes my day. Love you all 3


	18. MagneticAttractionPart18

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Eighteen**

* * *

Rogue couldn't concentrate.

She had an essay to write for one class, two books to get through for another, and four scenes to memorize for her Drama class.

Wanda was blasting loud goth music from her bedroom downstairs; normally, Rogue wouldn't have found reason to complain, as she actually liked the particular band and was partial to loud music like this in general. However, in this case, the music did nothing to aid Rogue's concentration, and the noise of sawing and hammering and drilling downstairs as Magneto, Pietro, Lance and Piotr worked together on the gymnasium project was becoming quite unbearable.

Rogue decided to creep out of the warehouse using the back way, through the door next to her bedroom which led to the balcony and the fire-escape stairway down to the field behind the building.

_Ah need to get away from this place, it's drivin' me crazy,_ she thought with a sigh as she dumped her book bag into the back seat of her car, then climbed into the drivers seat.

As she drove to the Bayville Bean Box coffee shop, her thoughts drifted to Remy, and the argument she'd had with him. Since the day she'd met him, she'd had various reasons to be angry with him, but she'd never been as furious with him as she was tonight.

His accusal of her compromising Piotr's health simply to benefit herself out of desperation to see her powers cured had cut her to the bone, and she wasn't sure how she would ever quite forgive him for speaking to her so coldly.

As she carried her book bag into the coffee shop and found a free table, she wondered if Remy was actually aware of how much he had changed within the space of few weeks. Leadership was said to change people, and it certainly had changed him.

_He used to be so...easy going, _Rogue thought dully as she ordered a coffee and a chicken sandwich. As she took her books out of her bag and laid them out neatly on the table, she thought to the look on Remy's face after he'd said the things he'd said. He'd been dumbstruck. She had _seen_ in his eyes that he hadn't meant to word it this way.

_Doesn't matter how he could have worded it, he thought it. He thought Ah was that selfish,_ Rogue thought unhappily as she opened her notebook and began working on her essay.

Leaving the warehouse had only helped with part of her problem, which was the peace and quiet she needed to work on her essay. Getting away, however, did not help her escape her thoughts and regrets about the events that afternoon.

_Maybe Remy was right,_ Rogue thought as she flipped through her Romeo & Juliet script casually. _Maybe Ah shouldn't have let Magneto talk me into using Piotr in that way, even if he _did _volunteer. Ah knew better. Why did Ah let Magneto do that? Why did Ah listen?_

She closed her script and shook her head in disgrace herself. _Remy was right. Ah __listened because Ah _am _that desperate to fix my powers. Ah knew what'd happen to Piotr...and Ah went through with it. Remy had every right to be pissed with me._

"Rogue..."

Rogue raised her eyes, quite surprised to see Scott Summers standing there having just entered the coffee shop himself. He seemed just as surprised to see her, although she supposed that neither of them should be surprised, seeing as there _were_ only three coffee shops in Bayville, this being the best – and most reasonably priced – of the three.

"Scott..." Rogue said, her voice slight.

"I...I haven't seen you around..." he said, standing awkwardly by her table. "Not even around campus."

Rogue shifted her books out of the way, "Ah've been around..." She said.

"How...how are you?"

"Ah'm fine," she nodded, "and you?"

"I'm...good," Scott said, voice slightly strained.

Rogue put her books in her bag, "would you like to join me?"

He looked around the place for a moment, examining how busy it was even for a Wednesday evening, then gave a shrug, "maybe for a moment or two. I have to pick Jean up in about twenty minutes."

"Oh?" Rogue asked.

"She's been volunteering at a nursing home a few days a week."

"Oh," Rogue responded almost silently.

"There's a few residents there who don't have families or friends to visit them, and so...you know Jean..." Scott shrugged a little.

"Yeah," she responded. She knew Jean all too well, and while she supposed she should have admired Jean for her efforts to brighten the day of a visitor-less old-person, she still had that nagging dislike for Jean none the less. "Ah just...don't get how she does it."

"How she does what?" asked Scott, he stared across the table at Rogue. She could tell the burning question of whether she would come home any time soon was somewhere on his mind and that he was desperately trying to not ask.

"All this voluntary stuff. Hospital work, charities, two hours a week at the animal shelter, spendin' time with autistic kids on weekends..." Rogue reeled off, "she has college work – she's pre-med for gods sake – not to mention training _and the_ chance that she could be called out into the field at any given time. How does she find time for it all _and _a relationship?"

"Don't think I haven't asked that question myself," Scott responded, he asked a passing waitress if he could have two Lattes to go. "Sometimes there's very little time for me...but, you know...it's a sacrifice."

"She'll burn out before she's even twenty," Rogue responded.

"At least she's trying to make a difference," Scott admitted, "I can barely keep up with one voluntary position and my class work starts slipping to ridiculously low standards."

Rogue snorted, "tell me about it. And Ah don't even have a part time job or a charity to work with."

"Life with the Acolytes starting to affect your grades?" asked Scott; Rogue couldn't help but notice how hopeful he sounded.

"No. My grades are fine," she confessed. In truth, her grades had not slipped at all, which she found surprising herself, considering the lack of sleep, the disharmony at home, and her Professors insisting on advanced course work.

"How is it living with them?"

"They're at each others throats, sometimes," Rogue shrugged, "but Pietro and Lance were usually that way back when Ah was with the Brotherhood."

"How's Tabitha?"

"She's fine," Rogue forced a smile. "She's...you know, same old Tabitha."

"Tabitha told Kitty that you guys train with a home-made obstacle course," Scott admitted.

"Not everyone has an endless budget and access to technology that isn't technically supposed to exist yet," Rogue reminded, "we make do."

"That's it as far as your training goes?" Scott asked, "nothing further than that?"

"Ah'm really not at liberty to say," Rogue composed herself. _Why is he pushin' for information? Is he tryin' to make a point that Ah'm not gonna learn anything with them? That home made obstacle courses should be beneath me?_

Scott tapped his fingers absently on the table as he looked around the coffee house. "I'm surprised to see you here..."

"Ah needed some time away to study."

"They drive you crazy?" asked Scott, Rogue couldn't help but notice how hopeful he sounded of this.

"No, it's just that tonight it's noisy. There's a lot of maintenance being done to the warehouse, and it isn't quite quiet enough for me to concentrate," Rogue confessed, "so Ah came here. Besides...this place has the best coffee."

As Rogue stared at Scott Summers, she could see a distorted reflection of herself in his ruby quartz glasses. She wondered if that was how Scott saw her now, a distorted version of what he'd known.

"Are you ever coming home?"

Rogue drew her breath, she tried to contain her anger, tried to imagine spilling it into a bottle and putting a cork in the neck. It wasn't working. Rogue sighed and put her bag on her shoulder intent to leave.

"Come on, hold up," Scott grabbed her arm gently and prevented her from doing so. "You can't blame me from asking."

"And you can't blame _me _for wanting to walk away."

"Rogue, you're my friend. I don't want to see these people screw you over and use you."

"You think Ah'm honestly goin' to stay there and _let_ myself get used? Ah can take care of myself," Rogue fumed as she yanked her arm away from him and began to move towards the door. "You know that."

"You know what I think?" Scott asked.

"Too damn much," Rogue responded irritably.

"I think that you know you're going to get hurt...but you're so damn convinced that Magneto is going to help you with your powers that you don't _care_."

Rogue stopped in her tracks; she could feel her face tensing as she tried to hold onto what little control she had left of her emotions today. She hadn't told Scott about her reasons for leaving to join Magneto. Where had he gotten that information? She felt her stomach flip at the thought of perhaps Logan, or the Professor telling him. Or had Jean? Had Jean read her mind and told him?

"Who told you?" she stammered nervously.

Scott snorted, "you think I can't put two and two together, Rogue? You don't think _I _know what Magneto can do? I should know. I lived through it. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you..."

She looked away from him, "if it were you..."

"If it were me?" Scott stood up and moved towards. "If it were me, I'd _deal_ with it...just like I've had to with my powers...just like Jean has to with hers..."

"You'd...deal..." Rogue repeated, the anger began rising up within her, she felt her body flush with the fury. She threw her hands out and pushed him backwards a few feet until he stumbled into the table they'd previously been sitting at. "You'd _deal?!_"

"Rogue...I-"

"You have no _idea_ what it's like to deal with the things Ah do every day!"

"Rogue-" he tried again, but she interrupted.

"Sittin' watchin' people like you and Jean havin' their happy little romances, knowin' that Ah might _never _know what that feels like. Spendin' every moment bein' on edge when Ah'm around people because Ah'm so scared Ah'm gonna hurt them. Afraid that even their accidental brushin' up against me is gonna fuckin' kill someone!"

"Please," Scott tried, "Just let me speak-"

"No," Rogue pointed a finger at him, "you've had your say. Now Ah'm gonna have mine..." she warned. "You might not have control over your powers either..." she kept her voice low for fear of other customers listening in, "Your powers might be a pain in the ass, and a problem, and dangerous..." she listed, "but you can make _all _those problems go away with a convenient little discrete fashion accessory!" she reminded.

Scott's face turned red, he tried to speak but nothing would come out.

"Is there some kind of convenient little fashion accessory Ah can wear to make it so Ah could at least go out and not be afraid Ah'm gonna kill someone? Is there somethin' Ah can put on my finger, or my neck so that Ah can maybe just know for once in my life what it feels like to hold someone's hand?!" she demanded.

He took a moment, recomposing himself before he spoke, and when he did, his only answer was "no."

"You might think you get it," Rogue said, she clenched her fists, "but you don't. No one does, not you, not Remy...not anyone...none of you will ever understand."

"Rogue, please, just hear me out..."

"Ah've spent enough time listenin' to the people who know best for me...Ah'm sick of bein' told to just _deal_ with things, to just tolerate my burden. Ah'm sick of playin' the role of martyr. And most importantly...Ah'm sick of bein' _alone_."

He sighed, shaking his head, "you already are, Rogue..." he gestured to the table where they had been sitting.

Rogue's stomach churned again, flipped harder, and her chest tightened with the emotion of that statement. She held back her tears, and turned towards the door, "Goodbye, Scott."

"Don't do this," Scott pleaded of her.

"Don't come around the warehouse anymore, Scott...and don't talk to me at college. Just...pretend Ah never existed."

As she left the coffee shop, she sighed inwardly and thought, _it should be easy for him to pretend Ah never existed, he's had enough practise._

* * *

Remy sighed as he stared at the flower bouquets on sale at the all night market just sixty miles outside of Bayville. Colours burst from shiny foil and ruffled crepe paper, delicate velvety petals of roses and violets and orchids and lilies all seemed to turn into a rainbow-like haze.

He couldn't focus.

Coming here hadn't even been his original intention. Following his argument with Magneto, he'd decided to borrow Piotr's van and take a drive out in the rain, both for the benefit of getting out of the warehouse, and getting away from both Magneto _and _Wanda. He was almost sure Magneto would make him pay later on for his show of insubordination, and he was definitely positive, despite the arrangement he'd made with Wanda that she would come looking for him tonight. He wasn't sure with the state of his current sexual frustration that he was strong enough to hold himself back from just giving in and doing to her whatever she wanted him to do.

_Slave to hormones,_ he'd chided himself as he'd driven along the highway. Momentarily, he'd thought about just carrying on straight out of the state altogether even if it would mean stealing his friend's vehicle in the process. _Could just go back to livin' on the road, stay in motels, tealeaf my way through everythin' pinchin' wallets from greedy bankers on their coffee breaks at Starbucks, _Remy had thought.

But it would have been exactly what he'd _run_ from. A life of crime had always come naturally to him. It'd been an exhilarating life with endless opportunities at first. But exhilaration eventually had turned into despair; Remy had seen the path easy wealth and crime had led his family to, and he didn't want to join them on the path to temptation into drugs, alcohol and massive gambling debts.

For now, working for Magneto was possibly the most _honest_ job he'd ever taken on, and the longest he'd gone without breaking the law. He supposed, in a way, he was impressed with his own ability to stay out of trouble this long.

His eyelids felt heavy as he reached out and tenderly brushed the petals of a large oriental lily; he leaned in to breathe in the fragrance but decided against the flowers. The scent was all wrong.

_What kind of flowers do you buy a girl to say you're sorry for being a dick?_ He wondered as walked along the length of the display, considering vases and cards, and fancy paper, and what scent best said 'apology'. He'd never bought flowers for a girl. Once, he'd stolen flowers from a church yard to give to a date, and a few times, he'd picked a rose or two out of a bush while on a date to bestow upon the girl he was with.

But he'd never _bought_ them. The idea of having to buy flowers had almost seemed pointless to him. _Why buy flowers? They start dying the second you buy them, and falling apart, turnin' all brown and gross. What's the point? What sentiment is _that_ supposed to give? It's like 'hey, here's something that's going to go brown and die in about the same time span my actual tolerance for dating you will'._

Regardless, he needed something, or his apology wasn't going to mean anything. He could say sorry until he was blue in the face, but he was sure Rogue wasn't going to take it seriously. He needed a gesture, something that said he'd put _thought _into this sorry, even if it was just something as simple as a bouquet of flowers.

_But it can't just be any bouquet,_ he realised. Rogue wasn't into floral patterns and pastel colours. She was a goth, she liked _gothic_ things. He pondered momentarily if perhaps funeral flowers might be the best approach.

_NO...that's far too morbid,_ he told himself shaking his head in his own disgust with the thought. He was positive even Rogue would be dismayed with that kind of an apology. What kind of sentiment would _that _leave her with? _Hey, chere, here's a bunch of funeral flowers, so you think of death, just like the way you nearly left poor Piotr this afternoon..._

In one almost desperate minute, he almost considered calling Wolverine to ask if there was a particular flower, or colour of flower that Rogue might prefer. He opted to not do this. He didn't need Wolverine knowing that this plan was getting _very_ out of hand, and that, if anything, he'd probably only driven Rogue closer to evolution than against it.

Eventually, after much debating over all the different types of flowers, he happened upon a very pretty purple bouquet, deciding that it was – as far as he knew – one of Rogue's favourite colours, and that the scent was lovely and sweet, not quite as pungent, perfumey or as almost _pissy_ as some of the more typical bouquets he'd been checking.

He was quite surprised when he discovered that he'd spent almost an hour picking these flowers – the time between entering the store and checking his phone and the time on the receipt upon completing his purchase revealed a full fifty-three minutes had been spent.

_God, you're an idiot,_ he thought at himself on the way back to Bayville, every now and then glancing at the bouquet – complete with vase – which was buckled securely to the passengers seat. _She's probably going to throw these at me...if I don't get smacked in the face with the entire thing – vase included – it'll probably be some kind of miracle._

He hated what he had said to her; it nearly physically _hurt _to think of the look on her face when he had said it. And now he wasn't sure how he was going to word the apology even when he did come to face her again. He'd thought of just _not_ facing her, of just leaving the bouquet in her room, complete with an apology card, which he'd bought with the flowers.

_No, this has to be made face to face. And I have to mean it, or she's never going to trust me and this is all going to blow up in my face. _

Of course, in this case, he realised that he _was_ sorry. He'd made many girls cry before and never felt one ounce of remorse. One single tear in Rogue's eye, and suddenly he wanted the world to swallow him up whole so he'd never have to see that again and be bombarded with the guilt that he'd caused it.

When he'd left the warehouse earlier, he had noticed Rogue's car had gone. However, as he pulled Piotr's van into the yard as quietly as possible, he noted that it was back where she normally parked it. She was home, at least. But that meant he couldn't just dump the flowers in her room without her seeing him. He'd have to face her.

Rather than go through the warehouse, he decided to walk around to the back of the building to go up the fire-escape stairs to get to the third floor balcony which would be ultimately also the quickest way to Rogue's room. He also didn't quite relish the idea of Wanda catching him with flowers for another girl.

_She'd flip her shit...probably blow out the electricity in the whole damn place,_ Remy realised as he quietly climbed the steps. As he got to the balcony, he saw through the slightly open window that Rogue's light was on, and he could hear the somewhat low volume of the television. She was in her room.

He entered on to the catwalk cautiously, looking over the side of the rail to check for the others. It seemed the others had retired for the night. From where he stood, he could see that Pietro was down in the living area watching what appeared to be a scrambled adult channel; Remy could only see the back of the boy's head over the back of the couch and was grateful that was _all_ he could see of him.

Remy stood at Rogue's door a moment, holding the vase of flowers, trying to steady his unusually unsettled nerves, and then knocked quietly, hoping she would answer. If she had heard the knock, she gave no indication, so he knocked once again, before he entered.

She was stretched out on her stomach across the bed, eyes on the screen. She momentarily raised her eyes from the DVD she was watching to see him, her expression darkened, she ignored him and went back to looking at the television again.

"Hi," he said, trying to sound soft, and charming. He was sure it failed, as all she responded with was a grumpy 'hmph'. He held the vase behind his back as he tried to think of how to offer them to her in a sincere and thoughtful way. He couldn't think of anything that would sound right, so he stalled. "What you watchin'?"

Rogue didn't answer, she kept her eyes glued to her film.

Remy looked around for the DVD case, knowing their must have been one since she had told him she couldn't get a proper signal in the room. He spied it on her dresser. "_All This and Heaven Too_, huh?" he asked.

She threw him a look, still not saying anything.

"Didn't figure you for a black and white movie kind of girl," Remy confessed as he moved into the room closer, kicking the door shut gently with his left foot.

Her silence made the room seem chilly and unwelcoming. He gripped the vase in his right hand, contemplating how to make her forgive him.

"Is there somethin' you want or are you just here to piss me off some more?" Rogue finally demanded, she leaned up, fixing the collar of her dark grey leopard print pyjamas as it fell a little far too forward exposing more of her cleavage than she'd have apparently liked.

"I came...to...uhm..." he tried to take his mind away from her cleavage.

"What? Came to apologise? Ah don't need your fake sorry and your trying to pretend like everything is alright when it's _not._"

"I am sorry," he sighed.

"Yeah, right."

"I'm serious...I haven't been able to stop thinking about what a _jerk_ I was."

"Sure," she brushed her hair out of her face, her expression still dark and unhappy. "Those sound like words you've said a thousand times to a thousand other girls, and there was never any sincerity any one time."

He moved towards her as she knelt on the bed, sweeping his arm holding the vase towards her to reveal the bouquet of pretty purple violets and dyed roses.

"What's this?"

"It's...an 'I'm sorry I was an asshole' present..." he responded uneasily, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. _Why am I nervous?_ He wondered. _Probably 'cause I don't want this cracked over my head._

"Remy..." she sighed, her eyes fell to them; it seemed she wasn't quite sure what to make of this gesture.

"You don't like flowers..." he sighed.

She raised her eyes to his, an eyebrow lifting slightly, "you...bought me flowers..."

"Yes," he responded, he reached them out to her, gesturing for her to accept the gift even though it seemed she was unsure about this.

She tentatively accepted the vase, her eyes dropping to examine the flowers with eyes that were far more hurt than he remembered them being only hours before.

"I don't know how else to say I'm sorry, Rogue," he confessed, his voice barely a breath. "I didn't mean to say what I said..." he lowered himself to his knees and let his arms lean against the footboard of her bed.

Rogue sighed as she placed the vase upon the dresser, still looking upon the flowers. "It wasn't that you _said_ it. It was...that you actually _felt_ that way at all."

He looked down to her black satin bedspread, feeling quite defeated. He absently ran his fingers across the fabric of her black bedspread, thinking how much thought he'd put into buying it. How much he'd thought she may like the feeling of the cold satin against her skin.

_I put more thought into buying this blanket, and those flowers than I've ever put into anything else my whole life._

"I don't feel that way," Remy pulled himself away from his thoughts. "I know you hate seeing people suffer and I know you wouldn't go out of your way to use someone just to test your powers out. I don't know why I said it...I think...I think I was just...stressed out. I never meant to lose my temper."

"You've lost your temper far too much because of stress, Remy. That excuse isn't going to fly much longer," Rogue commented.

"I know that. I can't do anything other than say how sorry I am. I didn't mean to take it out on you...I was pissed with Magneto...not you."

"You should have taken it out on _him_ then."

Remy sighed, "I did."

Rogue gaped, "you _what_?"

"I went off at him big time. Probably lucky he didn't kick my ass. I'll most likely pay for it sooner or later. He doesn't like it when people talk back to him..."

"Ah can't believe you did that," Rogue shook her head.

"He manipulated you. I didn't like it," Remy responded.

"Ah see. You didn't mind when it was _you_ manipulatin' me though," she pointed out.

For a moment he wondered if she had discovered his deal with Woverine. "Huh?"

"Back in Louisiana," she reminded, "jeez, is lack of sleep affectin' your memory now?"

He sighed as he lay his cheek against his arms upon the end of her bed, he raised his eyes to look up at her, "could be."

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Stress. Plus, my bed is a piece of junk."

"So go sleep on the couch," Rogue gestured.

Remy thought to what he'd seen as he'd glanced over the rail, "Uh...right now? No thanks."

"What's wrong with sleeping on the couch?"

"Pretty sure Pietro is jacking off in there right now. Seems to have found some kind of scrambled porn channel, I know I caught a glimpse of some pretty hardcore shit on that screen."

"Ew..." Rogue made a face. "Why can't he do that shit in his room?"

"Like you he can't get a signal from his room," Remy closed his eyes tiredly and sighed again.

"How...did you know that?"

"I put the thing in," Remy reminded, "didn't you tell me you couldn't get a signal, also?"

"Uh...no...Pretty sure Ah didn't."

Remy thought for a moment and realised it'd been in his _dream_ that she'd told him this. His face went slightly hot and he hoped it wasn't too obvious. "I guess I must have imagined it."

"Go to bed, Remy," Rogue commanded softly.

"Not 'til you say you forgive me..." he glanced up at her, his lids were so heavy he could barely even focus.

"What if Ah don't?" she asked quietly. "You really made me feel bad...made me feel like shit."

"I didn't mean to."

Rogue pulled her knees to her chest and hugged him, "the sad part is...as much as Ah'm mad at you for sayin' those really horrible things...Ah know you were right. Ah should never have gone that far. Maybe Scott is right...maybe Ah'm becoming selfish."

Remy leaned up, blinking exhaustedly, "when did he say that?"

"He didn't...say it...not in those exact words. But...he implied it. Implied that Ah knew Ah was gonna end up getting used or manipulated or hurt and that...Ah didn't care so long as Ah got what Ah want out of it. Ah guess it must be true if it's what you and he think."

"I...don't think you're selfish," Remy brought himself up to sit on the edge of her bed beside her. "I've never thought that about you."

Rogue snorted, "right...that's why you said what you said."

"I said what I said because I'm _frustrated._ I took it out on you...and I'm so sorry...I never meant to hurt you. You're the last person in the world I'd ever want to hurt..."

Her eyes fell to the floor as she listened to him, she didn't seem completely convinced of his sincerity.

"I bought flowers for you," he reminded, "You're the only girl I have _ever_ bought flowers for. Doesn't that say anythin' about how sorry I am?" he asked hopefully

She met his eyes suddenly, looking quite surprised, "You've never bought a girl flowers before? But you've been on...I don't know...dozens if not _hundreds_ of dates."

"I never bought them flowers."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"You're that important that I broke my rule and bought flowers," he admitted, "Never before, and perhaps, never again. But for you..." he gestured, "I make exceptions."

"Why?"

"I like being your friend. I don't want to lose that. You're the only person around here I feel like...I can actually talk to...and trust..." he admitted. He thought about telling her that she was the only person he felt was _worth_ talking to, the only person that gave him anything to look forward to these days, even if it was just sparring, or hanging out at a diner reading lines from her drama class script.

Rogue sighed, "If you...ever...ever hurt me again..." she began.

"I won't," he drew an invisible cross over his heart, already feeling the immediate guilt of lying to her after so quickly promising he would never hurt her again.

"Okay, fine. You're _sort of_ forgiven, but you're not off the hook yet. Flowers aren't magical, they can't make everything all better."

"I know. I'm sorry," he glanced towards the closed door, then to the television. "I'll find a way to make it up to you, I promise."

"You make _far_ too many promises you don't keep, Remy. If you kept them, my car heating would work, and the window would actually roll down."

Remy winced, "I told you I'm not good with cars. I had a look but-"

"You made a promise and you better stick to it. Just find a way to fix the damn car, maybe then we can talk about my forgivin' you," Rogue suggested.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do," he crossed his heart once again. "We friends again?"

"Ah guess," she rolled her eyes at him.

"Awesome. You mind if I stay and watch the rest of the movie with you?"

"Ah thought you were tired."

"I am. I just...really like...Bette Davis movies," he lied, thinking that he'd rather be up here where Wanda would _never_ think to look for him.

"Fine," Rogue rolled her eyes at him once again and lay back on her stomach so she could watch the rest of the film.

Remy leaned back against her pillows, folding his arms across his stomach and sighing contentedly. He glanced towards Rogue, watching her as she watched the film. A horrible sinking sensation suddenly came over him as he realised that his feelings for Rogue had begun to _evolve. _This was more than just tolerance...he truly did enjoy her company more than he'd realised or ever thought he might.

These feelings? _They_ were different. He'd _never _felt this close to a girl before. Never just enjoyed the platonic part so much, never been _contented_ with it. It was the first time he'd ever wanted to get to know a girl inside and out without it being completely sexual.

The things Remy had always liked to do alone, the things he'd enjoyed solitude in such as seeing a movie, or working out, or going for drive...they now...were different. He didn't mind Rogue being there, he _liked_ it. He liked _her. _She meant something to him...she'd become more to him than he'd ever expected her to become. It was now that he realised exactly _what_ she was to him, and why it was going to make everything so much harder.

_Great goin', LeBeau. You're being paid to betray your best friend._

* * *

**End of Part Eighteen**

* * *

_Thanks to everyone for their awesome reviews. I'm so glad a lot of you liked Remy's calling Magneto out on his forcing Rogue to use her powers on Colossus, and that some are glad that Magneto is showing a little more of his ruthless side. Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter, 3_


	19. MagneticAttractionPart19

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Nineteen**

* * *

Friday had been a hard day for Rogue.

Her classes this particular day were far more brutal than usual, one of her professors had been particularly harsh regarding an essay she'd written and had demanded she re-do the entire thing.

During drama class, she'd had to finally explain her situation to her drama professor that she was unable to physically act out certain scenes in the play due to a contagious skin condition. Her professor was doubtful, and slightly irritated it'd taken several weeks for her to admit to the problem, but had agreed to consider ways for physical contact with 'Romeo' to be simulated or implied rather than absolute.

Much to Rogue's disdain she'd had to spend a few hours at the library with a group of classmates for a project that she'd rather not have participated in at all. She disliked her classmates, and she was positive they felt the same about her; spending time with them outside of college felt like torture. She'd have rather spent time with the Acolytes freely than _this_.

By the time she'd finally found the time to travel home, it was already dark out, and the rain had begun pouring heavily. The walk to her car could not have been more than twenty feet, but by the time she climbed into the driver's seat, she was soaked from head to foot.

During the drive, her car stalled on the hill six miles away from the Warehouse on the lonely stretch of road. The car simply refused to start once the engine had cut out and she despaired as she stood at the open hood of the car trying to determine what the issue was exactly, determining the only thing that could be wrong with it was a flat battery.

Stranded, and desperate, she found no option but to call Remy LeBeau's number. Unfortunately for her, there was no answer.

_He always has his phone on him, why the hell isn't he answering? _She thought unhappily as she sat in the drivers seat, her hair dripping wet, her makeup leaving dark trails down her cheeks. _Terrific, the one time Ah _really _need that swamp rat jerk and he's not even picking up._

Although she hated having to do so, she tried more desperate measures, first Piotr's phone number, then Lance and Pietro's, none of which were answering. She didn't dare try Wanda's number. It left the number for Magneto's phone, which she'd always been taught should _only_ ever be used for an emergency.

She sat staring at the display on her phone wondering if a flat battery would be classed as an emergency. How furious would he be?

_Ah haven't even spoken to him since that incident on Wednesday, _Rogue realised, her stomach churning again with the thought of it all. Although personally she realised he should have no problems with her, she couldn't help but feel that there might be hard feelings regardless.

Either way, she was stuck on a dark road in the pouring rain with barely any power left in her phone, and she had two options. She could either walk, or she could call Magneto and beg him to send someone to come help fix the car.

She opted to walk.

The rain was icy, and she was soaked to the bone as she walked along the dark road alone, hoping that her backpack was waterproof enough to ensure her rather expensive college books wouldn't be ruined.

The walk took far longer than she had anticipated; she'd worn heavy boots today and they did nothing to aid her walking speed. By the time she finally approached the warehouse, she realised she'd been walking for almost two and a half hours. It was nearly ten pm.

She could see the dim glow of lights inside, and the silence even from the outside of the building told her that everyone was gone. She pushed the heavy door open as quietly as she could and stepped inside, her boots leaving puddles upon the cement.

Peeling off her hooded sweatshirt, she gave a deep sigh; she was cold, chilled practically to the bone. She hung it on a hook on the wall (these hooks had once held hard hats once upon a time) and knelt down to untie and loosen her boot laces to slip the soaking wet things off. They would take some days to dry, she realised.

"Rogue."

She stumbled, and fell, startled that anyone had been there. She turned to see Magneto standing in the doorway of his office room, she wondered for how many moments he'd been watching her loosen the long laces of her calf-high boots. "You startled me," she admitted.

"I apologise," he responded, although she was sure he didn't mean this at all.

"Where is everyone? It's so...quiet..."

"They all went out. I believe to a movie."

Rogue wondered why it was _all_ of them had gone to a movie yet she had not been invited, "oh."

"I believe Wanda did try to call you but could not get an answer," Magneto gestured for her to follow him into his office room.

"Ah didn't even get a call," Rogue admitted. Uneasily, still remembering the events of Wednesday, Rogue stepped into his office room, aware she was dripping rainwater all over the floor. She was genuinely surprised when he offered her a towel he retrieved from his bedroom cabinet.

"You're soaked," Magneto commented; Rogue wondered why it was he felt the need to state the obvious.

"My car broke down about five or six miles down the road. Ah had to walk the rest of the way here..." she put the towel to her hair and squeezed the water into the soft terricloth as best she could.

"You should have called," Magneto commented, "I would have come for you."

"Ah didn't want to bother you, Ah know you've been busy," Rogue glanced at the pieces of machinery and metal laid on the floor like pieces of an abstract jigsaw puzzle. Only he knew how to put the thing together.

"I would not have left you to walk six miles in the rain," he responded. "Are you cold?"

"Ah'm fine," she responded, shivering just a little.

"I'm glad I have this chance to speak with you. I'd like to...apologise about Wednesday."

Rogue was taken aback. She simply stood, staring at him. Had Remy actually provoked the mighty Magneto into saying he was sorry? It seemed quite surreal.

"I realise I was wrong to try to push you into using your powers on Piotr. I assure you, I would not ask you to do this again. We shall find a different method."

"Ah don't need a different method to work on my powers," Rogue sighed, "Ah just...need the evolution...like you promised."

"I admire that you know what it is you want, Rogue," Magneto put his hand upon her right shoulder and gave in a squeeze.

Rogue chewed her lip and turned to see where his bare hand was; it was resting against the exposed part of her off-the-shoulder shirt, just barely grazing the strap of her bra. "It...it feels so weird..."

"Pardon?"

"You...being able to do that...and you don't even...care. You're not afraid like the others are," Rogue admitted.

"I have nothing to fear," he reminded her. "You cannot hurt me."

Rogue stared at his hand still, "What if...this is the only time Ah'll ever know what it feels like to touch someone else?" she asked, "what if your machine fails?"

"It will not fail, Rogue. You will evolve."

"But you can't guarantee my evolution will let me control my powers," she sighed as she stared down at the floor unhappily. She'd been preparing herself should this occur, but it didn't make it any easier to swallow.

Magneto took her face in both hands and raised her head so she would look at him, "the only person stopping you from controlling your abilities is you. And you will find a way."

"But Ah don't know how long that could take," she said miserably, quite in awe of how very gentle and warm his hands were upon her cheeks. She'd always expected his touch to be cold, and clinical. "What if by some _fluke _this is it..." she put her gloved hands upon his to remove his hands from her cheeks, "what if...you're the only one who can do this?"

"There will be others," he assured her.

"What if there aren't? What if this just...blows up in my face?"

He didn't seem to have an answer for her; he looked at her with his cool blue eyes, they were so clear and bright, like glass buttons. If someone had told her months ago that there would be a day she found _warmth_ in Magneto's eyes, she'd have never believed them. But it was _there,_ there was an odd warmth to Magneto that few ever rarely got to see, that he kept hidden behind his cold reserved nature. Somehow, for one brief moment she forgot who he was, and the awful things he had done in the past.

Rogue didn't quite know why she thrust her hands up to grab a hold of his neck and pull herself up to his level to press her lips to his. It was a strange impulse that came from nowhere, a demand from _somewhere_ deep inside of herself that pushed her need to know what it felt like to kiss someone, to be close and not drain them.

She felt his body tense in his surprise as she urgently opened her mouth and tried to deepen the kiss. Hastily, his hands gripped her arms as he quickly pushed her back from him, their lips parted with a soft pop.

"Rogue..." he gasped.

Her cheeks turned scarlet and burned hot with fluster, she felt her breath catch in her throat and she stepped back from him, embarrassed. "Ah...Ah..." she stammered, "Ah..."

"I think...you should go..."

"Go...?" she wondered if this was his way of telling her she'd crossed the line, that she should leave the warehouse and the Acolytes, that all deals were off.

_This is it. Well done. You've fucked everything. He's throwing you out. You've ruined your chances of ever havin' a normal life because you have no self control! _She thought angrily at herself.

"To your room," he responded calmly; although he was clearly embarrassed too he kept his eyes on hers the whole time, never looking away for a second.

"Ah didn't mean that to happen...it just did..." she blurted.

"Rogue..." he took a breath, "That was inappropriate..."

Her eyes dropped to the floor, "Ah'm sorry. Ah...Ah don't know what came over me..."

"I understand, Rogue. You feel vulnerable."

"Ah just...God, this is so humiliating," she put her hands to her face.

"I think for your first kiss, you could do much better," Magneto responded softly, "and with someone closer to your own age."

Rogue sighed, "the sad thing is...Ah'm not even sure that _was_ my first kiss...at least not...technically..." she drew her breath, "maybe...maybe it's only fittin' that you were the first Ah've kissed that wasn't absorbed."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because you're the one who might be able to fix me."

"Rogue..." Magneto stepped closed and placed both hands upon her shoulders, he gave her a gentle shake, "you are not a broken tinker toy, you do not need _fixed. _You are an...astounding...young woman, regardless of what your powers can do."

"You think Ah'm astounding _because _of what my powers can do, not regardless of what they can do," Rogue corrected.

"This is not true," Magneto assured, "I have been watching you. You are a _survivor, _Rogue. A true warrior. Not just in training, not just in battle, but inside of you. You are extraordinary."

"Ah don't feel extraordinary," Rogue responded pitifully.

"How can you not?" Magneto demanded softly, "look at you, Rogue. Look at how strong you are. You can take _anything _you want from _anyone_. You can steal their knowledge, and take their powers, their abilities, their skills, you can _be_ anyone you wish simply by absorbing everything that they are," he explained gently. "You have the potential to be one of the most dangerous people on this Earth, and yet, you have the willpower and strength to not let the power corrupt you. You carry your powers with humility and grace. How can you not say you aren't extraordinary?"

Rogue felt tears beginning to blur her vision, and one spilled down her cheek, much to her further embarrassment.

Magneto responded by catching the tear upon the back of his finger, "some day, you will feel all the things you want to feel. And it will be when you are ready."

Clumsily, she swept at her tears, noting how the tears had mingled with her makeup and left greyish stains on her purple suedette gloves.

"You should go and dry off, before you end up with pneumonia," Magneto instructed.

Rogue nodded, and walked slowly to the door; she stopped as she was halfway out, and turned towards him to look at him, still barely able to believe that she'd kissed him, and struggling even more with the surprise of his kindness to her. "Magneto?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks," she said quietly, and as she left his room, she closed the door behind herself. Just as she'd taken her hand away from the door handle of Magneto's office room, the warehouse doors opened, and in spilled the rest of the Acolytes, home from their movie. They were chattering and bickering amongst each other about the movie.

"Oh come on," Pietro was saying as he walked in front of Piotr, "that was the worst movie he's ever starred in. He might have been good back when he was in Conan and Terminator, but he's _really_ overdue for retirement."

"I disagree," Piotr responded, looking slightly annoyed, "He is still good actor."

"He's your idol, right?" Tabitha laughed as she stepped out from behind Piotr. "You totally follow his workout routines, don't you?"

Piotr blushed, but said nothing.

Rogue stood watching them all. Remy and Wanda were the last ones to step into the warehouse. Remy looked worn, as if he couldn't be bothered with whatever Wanda was speaking to him under her breath about. Rogue assumed they were fighting about the leadership, which had been a popular topic between the two at _every_ training session this week.

Remy spied Rogue, and left Wanda's side to move over, "You're home," he said. "Where you been?"

"Ah had some stuff to do for college," Rogue shrugged, "my professor set these stupid study groups up for this project thing..." she shook her head, not wanting to bore him with the details.

"We tried calling you. I thought maybe you'd want to go to the movie with us."

"Ah didn't get any calls," Rogue confessed; she spotted Wanda passing by several feet away on the way to her own room. She was almost positive the girl had thrown her a very brief dirty look before disappearing into her bedroom.

"I called over and over and it just kept ringing," Remy explained, "after an hour I gave up. I got Wanda to leave a message on your answering service to meet us at the cineplex at seven if you wanted to see the movie, but...you never showed. We figured you were busy."

Rogue reached into her pocket to check her phone, the display informed her there were no text messages, voice mails, or missed calls. "Ah haven't had a single call all day..." she showed him the screen so he could see for himself.

Remy rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry..."

"Hey, no big deal. Ah was busy, Ah wouldn't have made it anyway," she shrugged. "Besides...it sounds like it was an Arnold Schwartzenegger film. And Ah've...never really been into those kind of movies."

"Me neither," Remy admitted, he paused, "we saw your car in the middle of the road on the way up here."

"It stalled, Ah couldn't get the thing started again. Ah had to walk the rest of the way," she gestured to her clothes and hair which were still soaking.

"We brought it back with us. Luckily Pete has a tow on his van. Was a bit of a struggle...the van was definitely strainin' to get up the hill with it, but we got it. I'll have a look at it in the morning."

Rogue folded her arms and looked at him pointedly.

"I know, I know, I keep making promises I don't keep. I know I was meant to see if I could fix the heaters and the window...I've been busy."

She realised he was right, it certainly seemed to her the boy never had a minutes rest. _What does he get up to while I'm at college,_ she wondered. _Probably works out._

_ "_You look a little flushed," Remy gestured to her cheeks, which she realised were still quite hot from the embarrassment of what had happened in Magneto's office.

"Yeah, it was a hell of a walk," Rogue admitted, "Ah'm about to go get changed."

"I rented a horror movie."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It's new. One of those mockumentary paranormal whatever thingies," he reached into the pocket of his trenchcoat and retrieved a DVD case with the movie rental store's logo on it.

"Oh..." Rogue nodded.

"You maybe want to watch it?"

It had been a while since she'd seen any horror films, and the thought of it was tempting. It was, after all, a Friday night. But she was tired, and she was doubtful she would even make it through the first half hour of the film without falling asleep, much like Wednesday when she had fallen asleep at the foot of her bed while watching her Bette Davis film. Remy had fallen asleep at the other end of the bed that night too; in fact, he'd fallen asleep there long before she had, and she'd left him there intending to kick him out once the film ended. If she hadn't fallen asleep during the film, she might have.

"Ah dunno. Ah'm real tired...and training tomorrow..."

"Actually," Remy spoke up, "the obstacle course is flooded. I looked this afternoon and it's just fucked."

"Seriously?"

"I guess I should have built it further uphill. It never occurred to me it'd flood that much. Can't even get halfway across it without endin' up ankle deep in muddy water and gettin' stuck in the mud. We can't use it for a few days so...no training tomorrow. We can _actually_ sleep in."

"Really?" Rogue asked, smiling a little. The thought of spending a Saturday morning _not_ getting caked in mud was definitely appealing.

"So...how about it?" he shook the DVD case enthusiastically.

"Okay," Rogue finally agreed, "but Ah don't know if Ah'll be able to stay awake long enough to enjoy it."

"Don't worry, if you fall asleep during it, I won't complain."

* * *

Remy was glad that his plan of renting the horror film had worked with Rogue. As much as he'd have liked to pretend he'd rented the movie for her, in truth, it was a selfish act. Wanda was still at him about the abstinence issue, and he had the feeling tonight – much like last night – she would be coming to his room looking for some intimacy that he just wasn't interested in providing any more. At least, if he was in Rogue's room, he wouldn't have to fight off his urges and be left with the guilt later.

Turning Wanda away the night before had been excruciating. She'd come to his room in a robe, underneath she'd been wearing the white underwear she'd worn the day he'd taken her against the washing machines. He'd almost been tempted to throw the covers off and beg her to take him right then. A quick reminder of the complications had told him to hold his ground. After another lengthy argument about their agreement, she'd given up and left the room.

Remy LeBeau had always loved himself, loved his personalty, loved his looks, his toned body, his abilities, his charm. But he was starting to really hate himself, and his relationship – if it could be called that – with Wanda was beginning to amplify it even more.

He _hated_ that he wanted to be with her sexually, yet didn't want to be her boyfriend...didn't even want to be in the same room with her any more. He hated that he'd been such a slave to sex that he'd let things get this far that now he practically had one arm twisted behind his back. He hated that for some reason, Wanda looked at him and saw the person she wanted to be with despite his mean spirited remarks to her and lack of enthusiasm. He hated even more that his proposition to her of 'getting to know each other' was nothing more than his attempt to manipulate her into growing bored of him. She was far too impatient to go through a friendship period, and he was banking on it.

It would have been simple if he could have somehow switched on feelings for her. If he _cared_ for the girl, then it wouldn't be a problem. Everything could go on just as it was (although he'd have to nip her sadistic tendencies in the bud). He wondered if it was _possible _if he spent enough time with her that over time he might _actually_ grow to care for her?

People got put into arranged marriages and fell in love much later; wasn't it the same concept? Just...learn to love?

No. Right now, even as good an actor as he was, he was positive he couldn't even _simulate_ those feelings for Wanda let alone learn to have them for real. Remy was convinced it would be impossible for him to learn to love someone simply out of obligation. He wasn't sure someone could learn to love out of obligation when they had never felt real love to begin with. He supposed if he'd had real parents, or a real family rather than what he'd ended up with, perhaps he'd have learned what love really was and how it felt to be cared for and to care for others in return.

As Remy travelled up the fire escape at the back of the building to reach Rogue's room without chance of being spotted by Wanda, he wondered how differently his life might have turned out had he ever actually been _loved_ by those who had brought him up. What would it feel like, to have someone _genuinely worried_ for him? What would it feel like to be genuinely worried about his family?

He supposed it would be nerve racking to feel love for people, to have to worry about them. It was probably why life was better _not_ loving people at all. Besides, at least he would never have to deal with the hurt and sadness when things went wrong.

He crept into the door to the third floor catwalk as quietly as he could, looking around to make sure no one spied him. He knocked quietly on Rogue's bedroom door; she opened it for him.

She stood there with her hair still damp and beginning to slightly curl, she was wearing a pair of black pyjamas with a skull design upon them. She looked almost adorable in a gothic fashion, he supposed. He felt such warmth for her that he could never feel for Wanda, and the dull ache that he wished he _could _feel that kind of warmth for Magneto's daughter. It would simplify everything.

"Come on in," Rogue stepped aside to let him enter.

Remy sauntered in, handing her the DVD before moving over to the bed, slipping his trench coat off and tossing it over the top of her bookcase casually. The room had a nice warm glow; she'd thrown a thin purple scarf over the lamp and the swirling patterns of it cast slightly on the painted brick wall. He watched her putting the DVD into the combination television player as he sat down upon the edge of her bed.

"Ah didn't figure you for a horror movie fan," Rogue confessed.

"I'm not," Remy responded as he swept his hand through his wet hair. "I got it for you."

"Then why do you want to see it?"

"I just thought it would be something fun for us to do together," Remy answered, forcing a dazzling smile. _And it means I don't have to be in my room when Wanda comes pestering me for sex._

Rogue grabbed the remote and climbed onto the bed, her back facing him as she began skipping through the various trailers on the disc.

Slowly, he moved up behind her, "I'm sorry that you had to miss out on the movie tonight," he said to her. He genuinely wished she'd been there; although she might have not enjoyed it, being out with the entire team _except_ from Rogue had felt quite wrong. He'd missed her presence there.

"Ah probably would have fallen asleep during it," she confessed.

Remy snorted, "I know I did. It was a bad movie. A real snooze fest."

"So Ah heard."

Tentatively, he leaned closer to smell her hair while she wasn't paying attention; she used the exact same shampoo that Wanda used. He was used to that smell. It was odd, though, that he found on Rogue the smell was sweeter, more intoxicating. He _liked _it more on her. Playfully, he ran a finger up her spine, which caused her to shiver in response. "You smell nice," he murmured in his best seductive tone.

She moved forward a little, "quit it," she warned.

"What is that...coconut?" he leaned in a little to smell her hair again, using his fingers to lift a lock to his nose.

"Ah don't know, it's Herbal Essences or somethin'," she shrugged. "You wanna leave my hair alone?"

He laughed softly and tugged her hair playfully, "You're tense..."

"It's been a rough day..." she responded, smacking his hand away from him absently while focusing on the television; she eventually found the main movie screen, and hit the play button.

Remy, still kneeling behind her, put his hands upon her shoulders; he could definitely feel the tension there in her flesh. He massaged her shoulders a little, not surprised when she elbowed him in the chest.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

"I thought I was helping with your tension," he answered, trying to sound innocent. "I didn't mean anythin' by it. Just...tryin' to help."

"Ah don't want you doin' that. You could get hurt," Rogue reminded, she stretched out across the bed on her stomach and propped her chin upon her hands, eyes set on the film.

"I can be careful. If you like."

Rogue shifted her head to turn and look at him curiously. "Are you after something?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes," he responded, "I don't wanna go back my own room. It's freezing down there...and damp..." he pouted for her benefit.

"Ah figured," she turned her head back to the screen. "Shut up, Ah'm tryin' to hear."

"You want the massage or not?"

"Can you do it without killing yourself?"

"Yes."

"Can you be quiet while doing that?"

"Of course."

"Then do it and shut up."

Remy moved to straddle her hips, noting just how much her body tensed at the closeness. Enthusiastically, he cracked his knuckles and then set to work massaging her back through her pyjama top. The movie, he found hard to focus on. His thoughts were too full of his troubles to really be able to pay attention to anything else, but luckily, a massage didn't need a lot of focus.

Rogue lay her arms down upon the bedspread and let her cheek rest against her forearms. She sighed softly, "that feels kinda nice," she yawned.

"I've been told I've got magic fingers," he teased.

"You keep those magic fingers to my shoulders and back or Ah'll magic them into _broken_ fingers."

He laughed softly.

"You are kinda good at this..." she murmured.

"If you like, you can do me after."

Rogue raised her head to look awkwardly over her shoulder at him, "you're not funny."

"I didn't mean it like _that."_

"Oh?"

"Actually," Remy kneaded her flesh expertly despite the cotton separating their skin, "I've been...abstaining."

Rogue blinked, "You...abstaining? You've stopped having sex? _Deliberately_? Yeah, right. Ah've been in your head. Ah know since the _day_ you lost your virginity, you've never gone more than three days without it."

"Well, I've broken my record then."

"How long?" Rogue asked curiously.

"Five days."

"Isn't it driving you nuts? Ah've heard it can get pretty intense for guys."

"I'm fine. It's...yeah, I'll admit, it's a bit intense. There's ways of dealing with it."

"Ah bet," Rogue responded. She seemed to be at least quite aware of what he was hinting at.

"It's...the dreams that are the worst," Remy said after a moment, he stopped what he was doing.

"The dreams, huh?"

"Sex dreams. Where...even the people you wouldn't ordinarily think of even bein' with in that way start turnin' up in your dreams. And unlike fantasy, you have absolutely _no_ control about who appears in your dreams. Could be anyone...could be a celebrity...could be someone completely random...like...the girl at the coffee house...or even Wanda..."

He waited for her response; he'd said it to see how she would respond to the idea of him dating the girl. He supposed it would have been nice if he could perhaps discuss his _horrible_ situation regarding Wanda with Rogue. Somehow, he doubted she'd take it seriously.

Rogue gave a sudden laugh, "you and Wanda..."

"That's funny to you?"

"Yeah. Ah can't imagine you ever goin' with that girl...she's so...obvious. Ah mean, Ah know guys like obvious and all...but...you and Wanda? That doesn't seem to go at _all_."

"Like I say, it's all kinds of crazy in those dreams. Maybe even you make appearances."

"Yeah, well, if Ah show up in your sex dreams, it'll be probably to turn a hose on you and Wanda doin' it."

Remy chuckled, "Okay then. If you say so."

Rogue turned awkwardly onto her side, still straddled by him, "Wait...why that sound so..." she paused, seeming to be searching for the right words, "like you meant something by it? What do you mean _if Ah say so?"_

"Nothin' at all, chere," he stared down at her.

"Please tell me you _haven't_ had a dream like that about me..."

Remy considered for a moment before admitting it, "Well..." he gave a little shrug.

"You sick bastard," Rogue turned around completely and smacked her hands against his chest, "how dare you bring me into to your perverted dreams."

"Hey, I didn't _bring you in,_ you stepped in of your own accord. I did nothin' to _will_ you there, and I definitely did nothin' to hold you there either. As I recall, it was _you_ doin' all the work," he teased, pressing a finger against her ribs.

"Ah did no such thing. Clearly you took advantage of me," Rogue made a face.

"As I remember it, you took advantage of me."

"How dare you, sir," Rogue wrestled him, twisted herself and after a moment, had him on the bottom, pinning his shoulders with her fists and her knee against his thighs.

"Yeah, that's pretty much how you did it," Remy smirked, "only you were wearin' a sexy lil' see through number and you had pearls in your hair. We were Romeo and Juliet..."

"You are such a liar," Rogue slapped him playfully.

"Am not..." he assured, "those lines we spoke in the diner...weren't too far off how we was talkin' to each other in the dream...and you had moves like I would have never thought you did."

"Yeah, right..."

"You mind takin' your knee off my leg? It's kind of sore."

"Not until you behave."

"You're the one bein' all...naughty," he responded, and with a quick twist and roll, he threw her off, pinning her to the edge of the mattress, her head hanging off the end of the bed, her throat exposed as if she thought she were about to be ravished by a vampire from one of those novels she liked reading so much.

If things had been different, he may have considered kissing her neck at that very moment. But it was an impossibility, she was untouchable. Perhaps it was just that very thing that made wanting her at that moment seem so very urgent.

_You can't have Rogue, you need to stop this crap, _he told himself sternly.

Rogue pressed her hands against his chest and gave something of a sigh. "Get off."

_You have _no _idea how much I want to,_ his thoughts screamed. Reluctantly, he moved back, and pulled her up into a sitting position. He watched her sweep her hand through her still damp hair, her cheeks slightly pink. How lovely her blush looked against her snowy skin, and how lovely and pink her bare lips seemed.

"You know," said Remy after a moment of thinking, he reached over and took a lock of her hair and curled it a little around his index finger. "Cyclops is a fool for overlooking you."

"He is?" Rogue seemed quite taken aback.

"Yeah. He is. You're a great girl...and a lot of fun to hang out with. Why you think I'm here?"

"Because your room is cold and damp."

"Details," he rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't hang out with you if I didn't think you were worth hanging out with."

"Ah've got to admit," Rogue said after a moment, "Ah know you can be a jerk..._and _ a bully," she poked his stomach playfully, "but you're okay."

Remy held his arms out, "Hug?" he asked hopefully.

Rogue grabbed her pillow from nearby and threw it at him, "that's all you're gettin' to hug. Now shut up and watch the film. Ah want to see how this ends."

* * *

**End of Part Nineteen**

* * *

I'm sure a few cringed at that kissing scene. Hopefully not TOO many threw up though ;)

Thanks as always for all the reviews. Hope everyone really likes this instalment. Hoping to get more up soon :D (am still 8 parts ahead, haha). Love ya all! :D


	20. MagneticAttractionPart20

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty**

* * *

Remy awakened in Rogue's bedroom a little after five am. He'd fallen asleep at the foot of her bed during the play of the film. The television was still on and the DVD screen was still up, showing various scenes from the movie. He reached across to the nearby remote and turned the television off, yawning a little.

He sat up, rolling his neck to loosen the tightness there that had been caused from sleeping without a pillow. He glanced to the top of the bed to see Rogue curled up beneath her covers, her hair frizzy and strewn about her pillows. He smiled just a little at the slight flush of her cheeks as she slept soundly.

He reached into his pocket to check his phone for the time. He realised now would be a good time to slip out and get back to his own bedroom. That way, at least if Wanda came to see if she could awaken him, he would already be up.

The warehouse was silent thankfully; everyone would still be in bed. It seemed to him that Wanda had not come calling for him; when he'd left his room last, he'd caught the end of a belt in the door and it was sticking out slightly between the frame and the door, just between the handle. It was still that way, even though his door had been left unlocked.

Wanda had taken his advice, she had not come looking for sex. He supposed today he should make a little effort to spend some time with her, since he'd made a silent agreement with himself that if she'd hold off, he'd at least try to show he was willing to keep up his end of the bargain too.

He spent a few hours in his own bed trying to sleep, but couldn't. He felt quite well rested considering the time he'd slept couldn't have been more than five hours. He tried entertaining himself by watching youtube videos through his phone, but eventually this got tiring. When seven am came, he realised he wasn't going to fall asleep and so he decided to shower and change for the day. He supposed there was always something constructive he could find to do even at this early hour. There was still Rogue's car to deal with, although he wasn't exactly sure where to begin with it.

As he left the mens showers after having changed, he found Wanda just leaving her bedroom, her hair flat on one side, her black pyjamas not all that different from the ones Rogue had been wearing (except her top was a tanktop).

"Morning," Remy said brightly to her.

"You're in a good mood," Wanda remarked, rubbing one eye tiredly.

"Yeah, I had a good night sleep, best in a while, anyway," he made his way towards the mess hall.

"There's no food," Wanda called out to him. "Or coffee."

Remy stopped in his tracks, "terrific," he uttered.

"No one has had _time_ to do a grocery shop and my dad doesn't even _care. _ I tried bringing it up to him yesterday but all he said was he was too busy...that I should do it."

"So why didn't you?" Remy folded his arms and stood looking at her, waiting for a reasonable explanation.

"Why should I?" she demanded.

"Lets see..." he responded, "other than maybe the first two days of fixing this place up, you haven't lifted a finger since. You don't help us with the projects on hand, you don't clean, you don't cook, and you don't do fuck all except sit and watch television in your room, or read those magazines."

"I'm not good at domestic shit," Wanda responded, "I spent most of my life in an institution with a _straight jacket on_...you think they took the _time_ to teach me how to clean a toilet or shop for a whole bunch of people and make dinner for eight?"

Remy raised an eyebrow, "You think anyone took me aside and taught _me_ how to do any of that shit?"

Wanda didn't answer, she just stood there, rubbing at her pretty blue eyes. He thought it funny how much more attractive she looked when wearing her not-so-revealing pyjamas, and no makeup. Ironically this made him much harder than when she wore her most revealing clothes.

_Self-control, LeBeau._

"Think your dad will be awake?" Remy glanced towards Magneto's office room door.

"Probably. He always gets up at five. You know that."

Remy did know this, but it _was_ a Saturday after all, who knew if the guy ever had an occasional sleep in from time to time just like any other normal person? He didn't normally make a habit of checking on Saturday mornings. "Okay, listen," Remy said, "I'm gonna see him, see if I can get some cash for groceries, and me and you will go and get whatever we need. So go get dressed."

"Okay," Wanda responded, sounding quite grumpy about it.

"Oh, and Wanda..." he called out.

"Hmm?"

"When I say _get dressed,_ I don't mean a PVC bra and a leather skirt that could pass as a belt...you hear me? I'm talking about respectable clothes...that cover you up."

"Why? Finding hard to keep yourself off of me?" Wanda teased.

"As if you care," he responded. "Go."

He watched Wanda sauntering off and disappearing back into her bedroom before he went to knock on her father's door. It appeared Magneto was indeed awake. Judging by the fact he was wearing the same clothes he'd had on the day before and his face looked quite unshaven, Remy could only guess the man had been up all night. He was sitting folded legged on the floor, working on the side of what looked to be a new invention.

_This must be the machine that's going to help Rogue,_ Remy realized.

"Good morning," Magneto said, his voice dry.

"Wanda just informed me there's no food in the house. At all. No coffee either."

Magneto glanced up, "why does no one ever tell me when the food is running low?"

"Because they're kids and they don't think ahead," Remy walked over. "Wanda said she'd spoken to you but you told her to do it..."

"And she didn't?"

"She is stubborn," Remy responded. "But she'll go with me to the supermarket and she'll help."

"Good. It's time she started participating. Money in that box on my desk, take what you need," Magneto reached into his pocket, pulled a key out and tossed it to Remy casually before turning his attention back to the machine. "Try to shop wisely. Make that money go as far as you can."

"You know," said Remy as he unlocked the money box, "I was thinking it's maybe time we organized something about the food situation here..."

"Oh?"

"We all live on pizza and Chinese food. I'd like to try and make up a schedule to take turns cooking and bringing in the groceries...if that's all right."

"Whatever you need."

"You'll back me up though if they start giving me grief?" Remy asked. He felt slightly irritable around his boss due to the events of Wednesday. He hadn't quite forgiven Magneto for putting Piotr at risk with Rogue's powers.

"Of course. You are leader, do what you must."

"Also," Remy grabbed a handful of twenty dollar bills, "we need uniforms. Proper uniforms, something durable, but maybe water-resistant. And good boots."

"I'm aware of the issue. I would like to see a more organized team," Magneto agreed. "I would also like to see my daughter dressed _appropriately._"

"Yeah, well that's something I think we both agree on," Remy admitted.

"Get the sizes of the team, and get back to me, we'll discuss something appropriate together."

"Gambit," said Magnet after a moment, just as Remy was about to head out of the door.

"Yes, sir?" Remy asked politely despite his inner anger towards him.

"I would like very much if you would spend some of your free time with Rogue."

"Excuse me?" Remy raised an eyebrow.

"I think she may be lonely."

"What...gives you that impression? Did she say that?"

"Not in so many words," Magneto looked almost distant for a moment, as if he were remembering something. "But I do sense she could use some company...someone her own age."

"There's three years between me and the girl," Remy reminded.

"Never the less...I think it would do her some good if you made more effort to spend time with her."

"If that's what you'd like," Remy nodded, "I'll do my best," he waited until he left the room to smirk. At least now, he had an excuse to spend time with her that Wanda would _not_ be able to argue with.

* * *

Rogue sighed as she opened the kitchen cabinet and discovered nothing but emptiness within. That and an old stale cracker that had been there for probably years. She made a face as she picked it up gingerly with her gloved fingers and dangled it in front of her face.

_Ah'm hungry, but not _that _hungry._

_ "_You're wasting your time."

Rogue jumped, the cracker falling from her fingers and landing upon the counter below the cabinet. She turned to find Lance standing there looking at her through the hatch between the kitchen and the mess hall. "Jesus, what are you doin' sneakin' up on me."

"I wasn't sneaking." Lance gave something of a slightly knowing smirk. "You just don't pay very good attention to stuff going on around you is all."

"That's a lie," Rogue responded. "There's seriously no food anywhere in this place?"

"Not as far as I know," Lance shrugged, "Remy and Wanda apparently left an hour ago to go get some stuff from the market in Bayville."

"Ah'm hungry now," Rogue pouted. "No leftovers up in the livin' room? No pizza or anything?"

"It's all gone. You don't eat fast in this place, you don't eat period. Thought you'd have learned that by now."

"Damn."

"So..." Lance casually leaned upon the sill of the hatch, "you had any thoughts yet about what I can give Kitty for her birthday?"

Rogue swore inwardly, "Ah forgot...Ah'm sorry."

"Shit," Lance muttered.

"Ah've...Ah've had a lot on my mind," Rogue admitted, "college, and trainin' and stuff. Ah've got a lot on my plate right now...besides...Ah'm really not good at shopping for presents for people."

"You've absorbed her though, you must have some idea of what to get," Lance lamented.

Rogue thought about this, "Ah don't know. Earrings? Or a nice necklace."

"You wanna come help me pick somethin' out?" he asked hopefully.

Rogue blinked, "you want...me...to come with you to pick something out."

"I suck at this. I don't know what kind of shit she likes. And we're...on the same team. We should get used to this working together thing. That is...if you _are _staying," he shrugged.

"Of course Ah'm stayin'," she picked the cracker up and tossed it into the trash can next to the fridge.

"So you'll come then?"

"Ah guess Ah could take some time out to help you. But Ah want a favour from you in return," she warned as she left the kitchen to meet him in the mess hall.

"Depends what it is," Lance responded.

"Remy says you're good with cars, and mine is _fucked_. Remy always says he's gonna take a look and fix it, but-"

"Yeah, like most guys he doesn't keep his promises, right?"

"In a nutshell," Rogue followed him through the warehouse. "So...if Ah help you find somethin' for her, then will you at least take a look and see if you can fix the car? Ah really need it to get to college..."

"Yeah, okay, I'll look, but you might have to shell out for parts..."

"That's fine," Rogue assured.

"So..." Lance said casually as they stepped outside into the rainy yard. "Are you and Gambit a thing now?"

Rogue gave a sudden laugh, "what?"

"Dating?"

"No..." Rogue made a face, "what the hell would make you ask somethin' like that?"

"Kitty thought you guys looked pretty cosy in the diner. Like you were goin' out and had been for a while."

"No it's not like that," Rogue answered, "And anyway...does it seem to you like Ah'm in any position to have a _relationship _with anyone she pointed out.

"I guess not," Lance shrugged casually.

"Besides...isn't he already seein' some girl?"

"Really? He's seein' someone?" asked Lance, raising an eyebrow, "he never _leaves_, when does he have the time to go out with girls these days?"

"He goes out every now and then," Rogue shrugged. "Ah didn't ask. Ah always thought he did that when Ah was at college."

"When you're at college, he's home workin' on the gymnasium project...and bossin' us around like he owns the place. The only time I ever see him go out anywhere is when he goes to the hardware store with Piotr...and I'm pretty sure Piotr isn't his _type,_" Lance remarked with a smirk. "Although who knows...there's a lot of room in the back of that van for...stuff to happen."

"Ah doubt it. Like you said, Piotr isn't Remy's _type."_

_ "_You don't think he could be a swings both ways kinda guy?" Lance teased.

"Ah doubt it," Rogue responded, "he talks too much about sex with girls. Besides, Ah've absorbed his thoughts...never got any indication that he had the vaguest attraction towards any other guy."

"Makes you wonder though. If he isn't fooling around with that big Russian boy scout, then who _is _he fooling around with?"

As they climbed into Lance's jeep (luckily the top was up), Rogue found herself wondering the same thing Lance was. Who was it that he had been seeing?

_It's not my business,_ she told herself. _He's a grown man, what right do Ah have to know who he decides to sleep with in his personal life?_

Her mind drifted to last night, in her bedroom. His smelling her hair and telling her how much he liked it, his touching her back, massaging her, their wrestling on the bed. For a few brief moments, it'd been almost as if there was a relationship between them. Something more than friendship. It had been nice just to feel what it might be like to have someone.

_What does Remy think about last night? Was he being serious? Was he trying to _really _flirt or was it just pretend? Ah don't even know the difference. Maybe he _isn't_ havin' sex with someone. Maybe he just made it up to sound like he's a player? _

She tried to force it out of her mind and pushed herself to focus on the task at hand. Kitty's birthday. She too would have to find a present for the girl and make an effort to visit on Monday. It was time to stop avoiding her former home.

* * *

Remy watched as Wanda walked ahead of the shopping cart, her fingers lightly trailing the food shelves in the cereal aisle.

"Generic," Remy reminded her, "always buy generic brands."

"Christ, the generic shit tastes like crap."

"I don't care, Wanda. We're on a budget," Remy reminded, "your dad says we have to make this money go as far as we can."

"Why? He's a goddamn millionaire!"

"I don't know, why don't you take it up with him? I sure as hell ain't gonna."

"I have no clue why we aren't living like the X-Men...all luxury and nice bedrooms and stuff," Wanda sighed as she grabbed a box of cereal from a shelf and tossed into the cart behind her.

"Because we ain't earned it, I guess," Remy shrugged. "Besides, we aren't living so bad. We have a big ass flatscreen tv, our own rooms, and we get paid well."

"You get paid well. He doesn't give Pietro or I the same he gives you, I'm sure," Wanda remarked, she hooked her thumbs into the pockets of her low-ride black jeans, "how much do you get paid anyway?"

"None of your business," Remy remarked. "Rule number one of the workplace; never discuss your wage with _anyone_."

"You're still rich though," Wanda noted. "I don't get it, you have the same old clothes you always have, you drive an old Harley, where is all your money going?" she asked curiously.

"Where does _yours_ go?" Remy asked pointedly.

She frowned, but did not respond. The lights above flickered momentarily and the air conditioning made an odd sound. Remy sighed.

"Control it."

"I'm trying_," _she remarked.

"Just breathe, try to relax."

"I'm _trying!"_

"Try harder."

They turned as a box of Cheerios on the opposite shelf exploded, sending cereal spraying over them.

"Good goin'," Remy brushed the cereal away from his shoulder. "Hope no one saw that...'cause I sure as hell ain't cleanin' this up," he looked around the empty aisle, glad they'd come first thing in the morning. Most people were probably still in bed. "You need to practice harder with your powers."

"I'm _trying,_" she reiterated. "It's not easy, goddamn it."

"Don't use that excuse. You ain't tryin' at all. I used to blow up everythin' I ever touched before I learned to control my power. It took hard work and determination. If I can do that, you can do this."

"It's _not_ easy," she said again.

"Put more effort in then."

"Shut up. You don't know what you're talking about."

"It'd be _easy if _you'd stop getting so worked up over the tiniest little thing. Your issue is that every time you get mad, the powers start going out of control. Simple solution is...stop getting so mad. Anger management classes or something might help."

"What would _help _is if you'd just have sex with me," she picked up a box of pop tarts and threw them into the cart, her temper flaring. "I always find it easier controlling these powers when I've burned myself out a little."

"Yeah, well, that ain't happenin'. Least not until we figure out if we can stand bein' in the same room together without arguing. And so far? Not goin' too good," he pointed out.

"It's been six _days_, Remy. We've never gone this long without it. I know it must be drivin' you insane. I know it's drivin' me insane."

"I'm doing fine," he lied. This morning he'd almost considered giving in, especially seeing how good those pyjamas looked on her.

_No, Remy, stick to your guns. You're trying to break this off, not encourage it. Sleep with her now, you may as well just kiss your freedom goodbye. You'll _never _ shake her off your goddamn back. _

_ "_What if we just fool around a little?" Wanda asked casually.

"No. We have to stay abstinent if we expect this to go anywhere," he explained firmly, trying to focus on the shopping list he'd written up while Wanda had been getting dressed.

"If you don't start compromising just a little..." Wanda began, getting quite irritable.

"What? You gonna teach me a lesson?" Remy snorted. "Gonna fuck someone else?" he dared.

"Maybe," she retorted, testing him. "I have needs, Remy, and if you don't start taking care of them..." she trailed off.

"You do that, Wanda, and we are _so_ through. I don't share."

Wanda rolled her eyes at him, "I don't like these rules."

"Yeah, I don't like them either, but I'm pretty sure it'll bring us together, just like you want," Remy explained. _Actually, I'm pretty sure you _are_ gonna get pissed off and fuck someone else, then I'm off the hook. Just hopefully you don't go and fuck Piotr. That guy doesn't deserve your kind of crazy. You'd destroy him,_ Remy thought at her.

"Who's going to cook all this food anyway?" Wanda asked as she gestured to the shopping cart.

"You are," Remy responded.

"Excuse me?" she asked, stopping in her tracks and folding her arms stubbornly. "I'm not a slave."

"You better start pulling your weight at home, Wanda. Don't care about your special ties to the boss, don't care that you think you might chip one of those talons you call fingernails, and I don't care if you think that housework is beneath you. Either you start pulling your weight..."

"Or what? You gonna threaten me like you did my brother?"

"If that's what you want," Remy responded.

"Threats don't scare me. They turn me on," Wanda remarked, a smirk playing about her painted red lips.

"You really want your daddy to put you back in an institution, don't you?" Remy pushed the cart right past her, she ran to keep up with him.

"What?"

"You heard. You keep actin' like this, mixed with the fact your powers are still destroyin' half our electronics on a near daily basis, and the fact you have these complete fits of crazy with anyone who gets on your bad side...he's going to put you away."

"He wouldn't do that," Wanda assured, "he's different now."

"All it's going to take is for him to find out what you and me been doing behind his back, and for him to find out about that little incident at the nightclub..."

"And what?" Wanda asked, "You think I'm scared if he finds out I've been fucking you? I'm an adult, he has no control over my sex life! Anyway...when he finds out how we feel about each other-"

"All he'll see," Remy turned to look at her, "is that you're on some kind of deliberate path of self-destruction. He won't tolerate it. He'll either send you to an institution, or he'll move you somewhere else, away from us...away from _me._"

_If he did decide to send her away, it wouldn't be so much of a hardship,_ Remy thought. _Be better for both of us, really._

Wanda looked down to the floor, her cheeks slightly growing pale. She didn't like the thought of this, clearly, and for all her bravado she _was _still afraid of disappointing her father also, although she'd never admit to it.

"Things need to change. I'm gonna turn you into a good fighter, and we're gonna work on this control issue you have...as well as...whatever this sex thing you have..."

"I took a test from a magazine, and it says I show _classic _signs of nymphomania."

"You sound so...proud about that."

"A lot of guys would _love_ to have a nymphomaniac for a girlfriend," Wanda admitted almost enthusiastically.

"No...not really. It might be a novelty at first," Remy admitted, thinking that for him, it had _definitely_ been a novelty in the beginning. "But then it becomes work. And some nymphomaniacs – the true ones – don't even have it in them to be with just _one_ person."

"And you don't share," she teased.

"Right."

"I bet you'd share if it was another girl," Wanda responded, "you'd be _more_ than willing for that, wouldn't you?"

"No," he responded. He had to momentarily ask if he were kidding himself.

"It's every man's fantasy," Wanda reminded. "And...I've always kind of wondered what it'd be like. We could always...you know...bring in a third."

Remy paused, looking at her through squinted eyes, "nice try. Try to coax me into giving in by offering up a three way?" he laughed, "sneaky. But I ain't fallin' for it."

"Oh come on!"

"No. Now stop buggin' me about it or I just won't talk to you any more. We have a lot of stuff to still get and talkin' about sex isn't going to help us find it."

* * *

Rogue leaned over the display of pretty silver necklaces at the jewellery store in the mall, her eyes scanning over the sparkling pendants of blue, green, red and purple. She was having a hard time helping Lance pick a suitable gift. Everything was _nice _in Lance's opinion, but nothing seemed that extraordinarily special.

_Ah can't believe Ah'm wastin' my Saturday helpin' Lance Alvers pick a birthday present for Kitty,_ Rogue thought dully.

Lance stood beside her, and pointed to a rather attractive cross pendant. "How about that?"

Rogue blinked, "seriously? Are you kidding me?"

"Hmm?"

"You know she's Jewish, right?"

"Uhm..." Lance raised an eyebrow, "she might have mentioned it...but...so?"

Rogue folded her arms, "so...she can't _wear _that."

"Why?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Rogue shrugged.

"Because I'm asking you."

Rogue scratched the back of her neck, "it's just not the done thing. You don't wear another religion's symbol. It's kind of, you know...blasphemous."

"I didn't know."

"You need to pay attention more," Rogue commented, "you have to be careful. You could have really offended her."

"Sorry. So...what would I get her?"

"Star of David, Ah guess...Ah know she doesn't wear one. She used to have one she wore all the time, and Ah think it got lost durin' a fight with you guys."

"Oh," Lance said. "You know, she was right about you."

"Hmm?" Rogue asked.

"I used to think you were a bitch," he admitted, "but...you're...actually not as bad as I thought you were."

"What makes you think Ah'm not?" she gave a strange awkward laugh.

"Well...you could have just gotten me in _a lot _of shit. I'd have bought that cross...and not thought anything about it. You could have just kept quiet and not said anything just to fuck with me so that Kitty got mad at me. And you didn't."

"Ah'm not a vindictive person," Rogue shrugged.

"I guess having been...enemies...for so long," Lance responded, "you kind of get to thinking that the people against you must all be vindictive and mean, even if they're all goodie-two-shoes."

Rogue smirked, "Am Ah supposed to take that as a compliment?"

"Take it how you like," Lance responded, his eyes scanning the display of necklaces. "Can I ask you another favour?"

"Depends how much effort you're going to make in fixing my car," Rogue answered simply.

"You're...friends with Gambit...right? I mean...you spend _time_ with him out of your _own _choice?"

Rogue shrugged, "Ah guess. Why?"

"Any chance you can maybe get him to back the fuck off a little? He's on our backs all the time."

She wasn't sure how to respond, because although instinctively she wanted to defend him, she also knew Lance's words to be partially true. Remy had been on their backs.

"All he's done since he became leader is bitch and moan. Get on our backs about stupid shit. Act like we're goddamn slaves."

"You _know_ he doesn't think that," Rogue responded quickly, "He's workin' just as hard as everyone else, maybe even harder six in the mornin' til _midnight,_ that boy is on the go, building, planning, doin' supply runs, alterin' the obstacle course, helpin' train us. All that and he _still_ finds the time to work out, shower, shit and shave," Rogue pointed out.

_ "_I'm not sayin' he's making us do all the work," Lance admitted, "I know he's busting his ass just like the rest of us, but...he's out of _control. _Gambit has always been...you know, kind of a hard ass but he was _cool, _and he was laid back. Now he's...just a total dick. You saw what he did with Quicksilver...the guy just completely lost it. He's never been like that before."

Rogue wasn't sure she was comfortable talking about Remy with Lance. Uneasily, she spoke up, "Bein' a leader puts a lot of strain on a person. Especially with this team. Lets face...you guys mess around _a lot._ He asks you to do something, and you do it half-assed. You're not even _tryin'._"

"We try," Lance made a face.

"Not hard enough though. He'd admit if you did a good job, or if you at least _showed_ you were trying. Believe me, he's not the kind of guy who just goes looking for fault."

"Seems like he is now," Lance uttered.

"Ah'll talk to him," Rogue said after a moment of contemplation, "but if you'll take my advice, you'll just...do what he says, and try your best. If you want him to _respect_ you and be nicer to you, then at least show him you earned it. There's a reason he doesn't get bitchy with Piotr or myself," she pointed out.

"Yeah, because he actually _likes_ you guys."

"No. It's because we listen, we do what he asks, and we don't give him grief. We don't go making trouble for him. The way to get someone to leave you alone _isn't_ provoking them."

"If you say so."

"Ah say so. Like Ah said, Ah'll do my best and talk to him, but you better make sure my car is runnin' by Monday."

"Deal."

* * *

**End of Part Twenty**

* * *

**Not a very exciting chapter, but I thought it was time to show both Remy and Rogue both interacting with people other than each other lmao. As always, I'm very grateful for the reviews, and I'm so glad to see so many people are really enjoying the story and adding it to their favourites, and alert list. It makes my day. Glad to see also some people are tickled pink to see a little Magneto and Rogue interaction lol. Wasn't sure if I was going to be flamed for that one or not! Anyway, off to bed for me now. 3 you all.**


	21. magneticattractionpart21

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-One**

* * *

Remy sighed to himself as he slipped a box of honey-nut loops into one of the shelves in the cabinet by the fridge. Exhaustion was still pulling at him every way, it was trying to catch up with him no matter how much he tried to fight with it.

"Where does this go?" Wanda asked, taking a large sack of long grain rice from one of the grocery sacks.

"I don't know...where do we usually keep rice?"

"At the Chinese place where we usually order from," Wanda remarked.

"Okay then...find a place for it. I don't know. Just...put it away," Remy commanded, he picked up the box of chocolate pop tarts and put it away. The act felt horribly mundane and made him feel weirdly domesticated. Not all like himself. Remy LeBeau was _not _the kind of man who liked to organize food cupboards and work out cooking schedules.

Wanda looked at a can of chopped tomatoes, her expression dull, "why do I have to do this."

"'Cause you ain't doin' anything else," Remy responded, "and like I said, you need to start puttin' more work in around here."

"I don't know where half of this shit goes."

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put groceries away, Wanda," Remy responded.

"Whatever," Wanda tossed the can grumpily into the cabinet and slammed the door.

Remy watched her, but bit his tongue. He really didn't want to start an argument with her. "I could really use a cup of coffee, you know," he admitted as he retrieved the next item from the grocery bag on top of the counter. He looked at her, then glanced towards the coffee maker pointedly.

"How about you _make _some then? I'm not your slave," Wanda rolled her eyes at him and was about to walk away from him and head towards the door to leave the kitchen altogether.

Remy gave a slight cough, clutching the jar of peanut butter he had yet to find a place for. "Fine. I'll make it myself," he responded casually, he put the peanut butter away and reached for the new unopened bag of coffee. "Just thought you'd maybe like the opportunity to find out how I _take_ my coffee and how you take _yours. _If we're gonna be together, it's the kind of thing we should know isn't it?"

"Oh."

Manipulation was key, he decided, to make it seem if he were at least trying to put some effort into getting to know her better. _At least this way, when she does get bored she can't throw it in my face that I didn't try, that I'm to blame._

Stubbornly, Wanda grabbed the bag of coffee from his hand, "where the filters at?"

"In one of the bags," Remy responded casually before continuing with the process of putting the groceries away. Every now and then, he turned to look at her, her fumbling with a coffee maker she wasn't even sure how to fill up, her bursting open the bag and spilling some on the tiled floor. Wanda was _not_ at ease with domesticity any more than he was. He could see her frustration, could tell by the strange noises the nearby microwave was making and the slapping of wires behind their sockets that her anger was affecting her powers.

Remy said nothing, determined to let her have the moment to try and deal with the issue herself.

Wanda was tugging on the coffee pot which didn't seem to want to come loose of the casing it was attached to. Her face went red with annoyance as she tugged and awkwardly rattled it.

_She'll break it before she gets it out,_ Remy thought.

At that moment, Rogue came wandering into the kitchen, sipping from a Burger King milkshake cup. Her hair was slightly damp again, and her purple hooded top was rain-splattered. Her boots left slightly muddy footprints against the tiles. .

"Wanna help put these groceries away?" Remy asked hopefully, gesturing to the several paper bags lined up on the floor.

Rogue slipped her hooded jacket off, "no problem."

Remy noted Wanda look over her shoulder angrily at them both, she gripped hard onto the handle of the coffee pot.

"We got a system?" asked Rogue as she pulled a paper bag up from the floor and placed it upon the counter on the opposite side of the room.

"Stil kind of trying to work it out...plenty of cupboard space though, should be a place for most of it," Remy gestured.

"Okay," said Rogue, she began unpacking the bag she'd picked, her eyes falling upon Remy who was taking out the items one at a time, "You're going about that all wrong, you know. You'll take twice as long and end up havin' to rearrange everythin' in there."

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Take everything out at once, put it out on the counters and sort it out _before_ you put all away, that way you can figure out the best way to arrange it, then you can put away piles of it at the same time. It's the fastest way."

Remy paused, looking at the open cupboard he'd already half-filled.

Wanda snorted in contempt, "He's a grown man, Rogue, I think he knows what he's doing."

"Actually," Remy said, hating how incredibly inept he sounded, "I've never done this before."

Rogue and Wanda exchanged dirty looks, Remy felt caught in the middle of a strange silent war.

"So I should just take it out now?" Remy queried.

"Yeah, just rush takin' it out, then we split it into sections, cans, boxes, dried foods, then we figure out which cabinets should be for which."

"Oh."

"And if you want my advice-" Rogue began.

"He doesn't," Wanda uttered under her breath.

Rogue ignored her, "don't put the bag of rice in the cabinet above the sink."

"Oh?"

"If the thing bursts completely on the way out of the cabinet, then at least you can salvage what doesn't go on the floor. Really...we should have a big jar or a tub or somethin' so that somethin' like that doesn't happen."

"I'll figure out something," Remy responded, "any other tips?"

"We don't have a very big freezer," Rogue noted, "so we need to be careful about space there too. Ah see you got a lot of frozen food."

"Yeah."

"Those boxes aren't all gonna fit in," Rogue picked up a box of frozen chicken fillets, "see, things like this, you take out of the cardboard – there's a bag inside with the thicken in it, and all you do is you take a magic marker, write on the bag what this is, then throw it in the freezer. It takes up way less space. It also means you can shift it around a bit to force it to fit into the narrow spaces between stuff."

"That's kind of...genius," Remy nodded, listening. He'd never thought about these issues.

"Ah used to have to put away groceries a lot back at the institute."

"Sounds like all that experience is going to be a blessing, here," Remy smirked.

Wanda grunted, "I can't get the stupid coffee pot out of the machine!" she turned to Remy and hissed, she moved away from the machine and kicked one of the grocery bags stubbornly so that it fell over, spilling the contents to the floor. A can of kidney beans rolled towards Remy and stopped at his feet.

"Uhm...you don't pull it, you twist it..." Rogue stepped over and removed the coffee pot with ease.

Remy turned to look away, suppressing his amusement as much as he could, hoping Wanda wasn't about to start a fight.

"You guys want coffee?" Rogue asked as she filled the pot with water to then in turn, fill the reservoir in the machine.

"Yeah," Remy answered, "I take mine-"

"Yeah, I know, cream and two sugars," Rogue reminded him. Remy realised he should have remembered that they had shared a few coffees together at the diner. He hadn't realised she had paid that much attention.

"Yeah..." he said, smiling a little.

Wanda frowned, "You know what, I'm done. You two can put this shit away since you're having _so _much of a blast."

Remy winced as she kicked another bag down and then stormed out of the kitchen furiously. As she left, the kitchen door hinges unscrewed themselves faster than either Remy or Rogue could blink, and the door fell completely from its hinges.

Rogue stared down at the door, which had made a loud bang as it landed on the tiles. "That was...uhm..."

"Ignore it," Remy suggested, and he went back to the task at hand. "So...you went out?" he asked, he pointed his eyes towards the milkshake cup. "Your car is fucked, how'd you go to town?"

"Ah promised Lance Ah'd help him pick a present for Kitty's birthday. So we used his jeep," Rogue explained simply, she filled the coffee machine, and switched it on, then went to pick up the groceries while Remy picked the fallen door up and moved it aside out of the way.

Remy thought that quite interesting that she'd take the time to help Lance, considering he had never made any attempts to be remotely nice to her since the day she'd joined their team. "You're a bigger person than I am," he commented after a moment.

"Hmm?"

"Helping Lance? He's a dick."

"Yeah, well...Kitty is my friend, Ah don't want to see her feelings hurt just because her boyfriend doesn't know her well enough to understand that she can't wear a necklace with a _cross _on it which he'd have more or less bought without understandin' that she's _Jewish_."

Remy snorted, "typical Lance...doesn't pay attention and doesn't think."

"He can't help it. He missed a lot of school," Rogue shrugged.

"Yeah, well, so did I," Remy turned to look at her seriously. "But I know enough that you don't try to give one religion another religions symbol as a birthday present."

"You missed a lot of school?" she asked casually.

Remy wished he hadn't said anything, he winced but tried to play it off. He didn't like admitting to the fact, sometimes feeling as if it would give people reason to question his intelligence. _Why bother. She's already absorbed my memories...she probably knows half of it already._ "I was fifteen when Jean-Luc made me leave School so I could put more focus on my training in the guild,"

"Oh."

Remy picked up a can of tomatoes and studied the label absently. "School wasn't easy for me anyway. You know how it is. Bein' a mutant back six years ago was even _more _unacceptable than it is now...and I'm not capable of hiding what I am with these eyes."

Rogue nodded, understanding.

"So...the school just let me disappear from the system entirely, didn't chase me up, didn't try to make me go back..." he put the can on the counter and sighed, "at the time...I was so sick of bein' looked down upon by the teachers and the students, I never even thought about goin' back either. Anythin' I learned, I had to learn from the school of life...lessons learned the hard way..." he stared down at the counter unhappily, wondering if she thought him an underachiever.

She leaned against the counter, he could feel her drinking in his image as if he were an oil painting and she were at a gallery. It made him feel oddly...naked and exposed. "Ah'd have never guessed."

"Seriously?" he snorted, wondering how it was she could have absorbed his memories and thoughts more than once and never have understood about his limited education. "Way I talk, I'm surprised it wasn't _more_ obvious that I'm a high school drop out..." he moved moved away to pick up another grocery bag to empty.

"Actually...the opposite," Rogue commented, "you're a smart guy, Remy...and Ah really mean that..."

He turned to look at her with suspicious eyes, wondering if she were trying to make him feel better by pretending to believe this about him. But there was nothing other than sincerity there in that pretty painted face. She must have read his surprise, because she continued.

"You're _intelligent,_ and logical..."

Although he could tell she believed these things about him, he still felt reluctant to believe she did, and so he looked away from her and continued with his task. He heard her step towards him.

"You're bilingual..." she put her hand on his arm, he felt her tugging to get his attention, and he turned slightly to look over his shoulder at her. "You speak French _and _Russian."

"I only know a little bit of Russian," he commented irritably, not comfortable with the subject any more. _Why the hell did I bring this up? _He had to wonder why it was compliments seemed to make him feel _worse_ about himself than better.

_ "_You know more than Ah do," she smirked, "You're good at math...Ah know you have a real head for it."

He tilted his head, "How you know that?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Ah was watchin' you and Piotr goin' over some of the blue prints for the gym...makin' all those calculations on square footage, and wall height, and how much weight the support beams were gonna have to take..." Rogue shrugged, "Ah wouldn't have known any of that. Ah can measure a piece of wood, and that's pretty much all Ah can do..."

"Yeah well," Remy looked down to the counter, "sometimes my work in the past has required a little mathematical skill," he shrugged. "Bein' a thief is about more than just being able to tally up how much you'll earn, you know," he explained.

"Such as?" she asked curiously.

"A lot of it is trade secrets that I'm really not meant to share," he explained simply, "somethin' I swore to the guild when I took an oath."

"Oh come on!"

"My lips are sealed. Anyway, regardless of what I know...it doesn't mean I'm book smart. Not like you any way."

"You think Ah'm book smart?" she laughed, "Ah'm _barely_ skimming by. You think Ah'd be at _Bayville Community College_ if Ah was book smart?"

"I had a look through your text books, Rogue. I couldn't make head nor tail of it," Remy shrugged.

"Join the club," Rogue made a face, "why do you think it takes so much time for me to study?" she pointed out and nudged him playfully. "Half that time is re-reading the same paragraph ten times just to try and get what it means."

Momentarily – despite her lie that she didn't understand her books – he felt better, and he turned and looked at her with a smile, which she returned before turning to walk away back to the opposite counter to continue helping with putting away the groceries.

"So...what's up Wanda's butt today?" Rogue asked casually.

_What isn't? _He thought dully. _Maybe I should just tell her?_ He thought for a second, but decided against telling Rogue. She'd lose too much respect for him if he should reveal the truth.

"You know...the usual, she doesn't like being made to do anything remotely useful around here," Remy remarked. "I made her go grocery shopping with me, and participate. This thing where she just sits around all day and watches everyone else do the work is gonna stop, for real. Sick of her not pitching in and helping."

"Be fair," Rogue commented, to which he turned and looked at her strangely until she continued by saying, "she could accidentally chip a nail, and the whole building could fall apart when she freaks out about it."

He smirked, but it was an empty one at that. He sighed, "Sad thing, it ain't far from the truth. Girl has problems. But...you know. We _all_ got problems."

"We do," Rogue said, "which...is why you need to be a little less tough on the others sometimes..."

"Huh?" he stopped and turned toward her, letting his backside rest against the counters.

"Ah'm not tryin' to start a fight," she warned, putting her hands up slowly, "but sometimes you're a little rough on Lance and Pietro...Wanda too, for that matter. Ah get that they're screw ups but...they can't help it. It's like you said...we _all_ have problems. They have problems too."

Remy bit his tongue, he wanted to remark but decided to hold back for the moment.

"You need to be just a _little_ more understandin'. It's the only thing that's holding a good leader back from bein' a great leader."

"So you're hoppin' on the bandwagon with the rest of them now?" Remy asked, feeling a little attacked.

"No. Ah'm just..." she paused, seeming to be trying to find a way to explain herself. "Look, Ah know that they're bein' assholes. But you need to look at it from _their_ perspective. They're used to bein' able to do whatever the hell they want with only random orders to work with. It's a big adjustment for them, and yelling at them for doin' everything wrong isn't gonna help them."

"Neither is mollycoddlin' them. I'm not here to make friends...I'm here because I'm bein' paid to do a job, that's it."

"You're here because you have nowhere else to go," Rogue folded her arms, "You said it yourself."

He looked away, furious now. He pursed his lips tightly. _Sometimes it's just better to keep your mouth shut,_ he decided.

"You _know_ what it's like bein' treated this way. Just lay off a little...get off their backs, and try some positive reinforcement instead of just goin' off at them. Maybe they'd stop givin' you so much shit if you just be a little nicer..."

"You're siding with Lance, now, is that it?" Remy asked. "You spend a few hours with him and suddenly you're best buddies?"

"No..." she blinked, she seemed quite confused about the accusation.

He turned away from her, placing his hands on the counter and shaking his head, angry with both her and himself.

"They're still kids, Remy. Legally they might be adults, but emotionally...they're just...kids who weren't even _brought up_ properly by people who cared. They're not that different from you. They dragged themselves up, had to basically fend for themselves, figure things out on their own, learn how to survive. One of them spent her time in a rubber room with a straight jacket. Come on, you _know_ it ain't their fault."

Remy supposed he couldn't blame her for identifying with them and being sympathetic. _She's too kind hearted,_ Remy thought it almost amusing, as when he'd been first hired to follow her and track her movements, he'd been told Rogue was quite bitter and cold-hearted. _Nothing cold about her heart, she's far warmer and far more sensitive than everyone told me she would be,_ he realised. _Probably why her bein' locked in that skin bothers her so much, she can't share as much of her heart as she'd like to._

"Okay, fine," he turned and looked at her, squinting his eyes at her, "I'll lay off, okay?". He hated being mad with Rogue and somehow, he just couldn't _stay _mad with her, even if she was defending those he felt were going against him. "But if they start goofing off even worse than they do now, then things are gonna go back to the way I was running things before."

"All right," Rogue said softly, she pursed her lips. "Now come on, we got lots to put away...or this stuff is gonna defrost before we get to it."

Remy watched her while he worked at putting the items away with her. It was odd, he realised, that almost in a strange ironic way that Rogue's wanting to side with those who were determined to oppose him and give him nothing but grief only made him care so much more for her. She had her own mind, she didn't feel the need to agree with him, and she didn't feel the need to hold back when she thought he was being unfair. Her straightforwardness, her guts, her intuition and her sincerity...they were all traits that day by day he was becoming even more attached to.

_This is going to make it so much harder once I convince her not to go through with the evolution process. She's going to leave...especially if she ever finds out about the deal I made with Wolverine._

Remy sighed to himself as he ripped the box from some frozen chicken fillets and used a permanent marker to write on the bag of contents.

Rogue heard the sigh, and paused, "something wrong?" she asked.

"Just...you know. Bored. Of this place, I mean," he lied quickly. He tossed the bag into the freezer and flattened the box for the recycling bin.

"Ah know, this isn't a very excitin' thing to do, but it'll be done soon enough."

"Yeah," he agreed, "I suppose you're right."

Over the next half hour they continued to put things away, arranging cupboards and fridge contents. The time spent with her had been fine, up until Rogue stepped up to the counter next to him to put one one of the jars away in the cupboard he was standing by. He watched every movement, from the way she stood on her tiptoes, to the way her bust brushed against his arm unintentionally as she leaned across to put a tub of chicken seasoning away.

He winced, that familiar stirring in his loins. He'd been desperately trying to avoid the problem for nearly a week. Right now, it was becoming damn near painful. He wet his lips, swallowed hard and closed his eyes, trying to force the thoughts out of his head and make the feeling subside. It didn't want to.

Memories of his dreams rushed back, of Rogue in that stunning white gossamer dress, her hair pinned in curls. How her lips had felt, how her skin had felt, how _she_ had felt against him. A dream had never been so vivid. Sex had never been so _good _as that dream.

"Remy?"

"Hmm?" he asked, his eyes still closed. _Put it out of your head. Why are you thinking about her like this? Just stop it already._

_ "_You okay, sugar?" she asked, he felt her gloved fingers brush his cheek and he opened his eyes to turn and look at her, slightly flustered by the gesture. "You look a little flushed."

"I'm...I'm fine," he blinked, "Just...felt a little light headed for a minute there..." he drew a deep breath. _Did she just call me sugar? _

"You're sweatin'," Rogue brushed his hair from his forehead tenderly, "you feelin' okay?"

"I'm fine. Just feeling a little hot," he gently removed her hand from him gently; even her touch was sending him nearly over the edge. _This isn't fair, what kind of a joke is this? Have me get turned on by the only girl I count as a friend? The only one I can't have emotionally _or _physically? _

_ "_Maybe you should go lie down," Rogue offered, "Ah can finish up here if you like."

"That's sweet of you," Remy admitted, "but...I started this task, I should finish it...besides, we're nearly done," he waited until she'd turned her attention from him for a brief moment so that he could adjust his jeans a little and hide the growing bulge.

"So what you got planned for the rest of the day?" Rogue asked casually as she began disposing of the pile of paper bags that had been tossed into the corner.

"Probably some more work on the gym, still a lot needing done," he responded.

"Remy. Take a break," Rogue put the paper bags in the recycling box, then dusted her gloves off. "You're going to burn yourself out."

"I'm fine, really," he assured.

"You'll make yourself sick. It's no wonder you're all flushed and feverish..."

_I'm flushed and feverish because I'm horny,_ he thought miserably as he sipped the coffee she had made him a little while ago, which had now gone quite cold. "I'm fine, I promise," he said afterwards.

"You're not fine, you're tired and you're stressed, you're lettin' the people here drive you crazy and you're not even giving yourself a moment to rest. So...we're goin', whether you like it or not."

"We are, huh?" he folded his arms and looked down at her, smirking just a little, "is that an _order,_ leader?" he pointed out.

"Yes," she remarked, "it's an order. It's a Saturday and you're _not_ Leader today. You're not leader, you're not Gambit, you're not a mutant. You're just Remy LeBeau, a normal every day kinda guy and you're on your day off."

He supposed she was right. "Fine, you're right, I could use a day off," he finally agreed. "Where you wanna go?"

"Where do _you_ wanna go?" Rogue asked, pointedly, "this is _your_ day. We can go anywhere, but not the hardware store, or to pick up anything for the building projects."

Remy wasn't sure there _was_ anywhere in Bayville he really wanted to go. "You know what, I don't care where we go..." he shrugged. "You pick somewhere."

"Remy, this is about _you,_ doin' something you like."

"Chere," Remy smirked, "I like hanging out with you, whatever you wanna do, I'm cool with. Long as you're with me, I'm game for anythin'."

Rogue stared up at him, her expression curious. It seemed she wasn't quite sure how to take this statement. He hadn't meant it to sound so...flirtatious. But somehow, it always seemed to come out of him eventually when he spent time with Rogue, just as these frequent periods of arousal kept occurring in her presence too.

_It's just hormones,_ he tried to assure himself.

Rogue drew her breath, "Okay...well...there's this...horror movie convention goin' on up near Bayville Lake at the convention centre...you know, for Halloween comin' up next week," she seemed to chew her cheek. "Is...there any chance you'd be up for goin' to somethin' like that?"

"I don't have to dress up like a goth or anything, right? I mean...do I need to...put on eyeliner, or...white face or anything?" Remy cocked his head and looked at her quizzically.

"No, it's just a horror movie convention. They sell posters, figurines, t-shirts, you know, the usual shit," Rogue responded.

"Then I'd love to," Remy grinned, "lets just clear this crap up fast and we can be on our way."

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-One**

* * *

Another not so exciting chapter but the next few will pick up a little (really can't wait to get them posted!). Thanks as always for the people who take the time to review, and for those who have already spent their time reviewing and making this story a favourite and on alert. I was quite amused by the review I got that I must be some kind of secret writer working for Marvel. It really made me laugh, haha! Anyway, hope you all enjoy! More to come soon (next few days). 3


	22. MagneticAttractionPart22

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Two**

* * *

Rogue was thrilled to have someone to go to the horror movie convention with her. It surprised her that Remy had been willing to go, as it seemed to her that horror movies weren't really one of his interests. In fact, the most astonishing thing had been his revelation that he'd have been happy to do _anything_ she wanted to do.

_He's that desperate to just have an excuse to get out,_ Rogue decided, feeling that it couldn't just be that the boy liked her, and wanted to share an experience with her as a gesture of friendship. She was still too suspicious of him, regardless of how much she was beginning to care about him as a friend, and definitely regardless of how much she wanted to trust him and believe he liked her as much as she liked him.

As they walked past the displays of horror movie t-shirts, Rogue briefly turned to look at him every so often, wondering if he were feigning interest in any of this or if he was genuinely having a good time.

"This is the first time Ah've ever come to this...although Ah've been here three years now," Rogue commented as she stopped to examine some t-shirts, picking up one with a 'Sleepaway Camp' logo upon the chest.

"How come? You love this stuff..." he picked up a t-shirt himself, running his fingers thoughtfully across the logo as if he were trying to decide whether it would actually peel off or not.

"Ah just...Ah never felt comfortable goin' to something like this alone," she admitted.

"Because of your...you know...?" Remy took great care to not mention her powers. She was thankful he was discrete enough to do so in such a crowded area.

"Ah don't know. Maybe?" she shrugged, "or maybe just...it seemed kind of sad goin' to somethin' like this alone. Seems like somethin' you do with other people. Just like movies...and goin' to restaurants."

"I see," he nodded, seeming to understand, he looked over at the t-shirt she was holding, "I don't think I know that one," he referred to the film, "what's that one about?"

"You've never seen it? It's really old...well...older than _us_ anyway," Rogue smirked. "Kids at a camp start gettin' killed. It's all related to a fourteen year old girl. Everyone who bullies here starts gettin' offed in horrible ways. It's a total classic...and it has one of _the _most original twists Ah've seen in a horror film."

"What's the twist?"

"Ah'm not gonna tell you," Rogue made a face, "It'd spoil the surprise if you ever decided to watch it. Besides, someone could be listenin' to us, and thinkin' that this movie sounds cool, then Ah might have ruined it by givin' away the endin'."

Remy shook his head at her, smiling just a little, "now I'm curious..." he spotted the DVD itself on a display nearby, "now we gotta watch this tonight..."

"Ah thought you didn't _like _horror films?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say I don't like them," he responded, "I just don't go out of my way to see them. Maybe it's like you with the whole...you know...goin' to conventions and restaurants and stuff...sometimes somethin' is better when you're with someone..."

"You're not _scared _to watch it, are you?" she teased, poking him in the back playfully.

"Never. Remy LeBeau isn't scared of horror movies," he snorted. He then mumbled something under his breath as he moved out of earshot to get to the cashier selling the items. Rogue wasn't sure what he'd said but she'd caught the word 'crazy' and that was all.

_Did he just call me crazy for sayin' he's scared of horror films? _Rogue wondered as she waited nearby as he stood in line. As Remy took his wallet out to pay for the DVD Rogue noted in one of the slots there was an interesting amount of cash in there that she hadn't expected to see. She turned her head away entirely and pretended to have not noticed, thinking it rude to ask why he had _so_ many twenties in that wallet.

_How does he have _that_ much money? Is he stealing again? He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who saves his dollars,_ Rogue thought as she moved to the display opposite to look at gothic themed silver jewellery.

Remy moved up behind her, and she felt him fumbling with the zip on her backpack as he put the DVD in there, "I'll stick this in here, the guy ran out of bags. Taped the receipt to it though, so at least we can prove it's bought and paid for," he explained.

Casually holding a necklace up to her neck, she stared in the mirror set up at he display, admiring how pretty the tiny red gem shone beneath a red heart suspended by roses. Her eyes caught the reflection of Remy, whom she realised with some surprise was looking right back at her. Even with the sunglasses he was wearing – a precaution he took whenever he went outside to hide his mutant eyes – she could tell that his eyes were right upon hers. Their eyes were meeting through reflection, and she felt an fluttering in her stomach at this look, it was unfamiliar territory, it felt strangely intense and deep. Deeper than _any_ glance she'd shared with another person.

_Why does he look so serious? Deadly serious?_

She put the necklace down back where she'd gotten it from, and turned towards him, "is something wrong?" she forced herself to sound light, and unaffected.

He was still looking at her, and it took a moment, almost as if he'd been in a trance, "Hmm? Oh..." he blinked, "no...nothin'..."

"You were thinkin' about somethin'...you looked so serious..." Rogue pointed out.

"I was just admiring that necklace on you. You have such white skin, that pewter looked kind of nice against it...especially with the red stones...stood out...suited you," he said, looking slightly distant. She was convinced this was _nowhere _near what he'd been thinking, although she had to commend his eye for detail at least.

Rogue snorted, amused, "is that how you get the girls, LeBeau? That the kind of corny compliments and lines you use?" she turned back to the display and glanced through the other items, necklaces with skull pendants, rings shaped like coffins, earrings with black roses dangling from ruby red stones.

"You'd know if I was usin' my lines on you, chere. There'd be no question."

"Come on, try me," Rogue held another necklace to her throat casually, although it wasn't quite as attractive as the one she'd held up before.

"You're serious? You want me to use a line on you?" he asked, moving up behind her and talking near her ear, "you want me to sweep you off your feet?"

Rogue laughed, "Seriously? You think you're actually capable of sweepin' _me _off my feet? Yeah...right."

"You think I can't?"

Eyeing him up in the mirror once again as she tried a different necklace, she responded with, "okay, come on. Seduce me."

His expression changed, and he lowered his sunglasses just a little so that he was looking at her from beneath his brows the red of his eyes just appearing over the rims. Then, with a confident tone, he said, "Honey, I ain't Fred Flintstone, but if you come home with me, I'll make your bed rock."

Rogue burst out laughing, "oh come on!"

"Do you wash your pants in Windex? 'Cause I can really see myself in them."

"Oh please!" she giggled.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Right," he winked at her reflection, "I heard you're lookin' for me?"

"Ugh, that's bad..." Rogue shook her head.

"What's a nice girl like you doin' in a dirty mind like mine?"

Rogue rolled her eyes at him, "okay, enough. Obviously you are...usin' your _talent_ to seduce girls, because there is just _no_ way you can do it from a line."

He gave amused sigh, smiling to himself as he looked away from her, quite pleased with himself for a moment. Then, he stepped up right behind her, placing his hands gently upon her arms. He leaned near to breathe words in to her ear, an oddly soft and delicate voice she'd _never _heard him use, "For some time now I've been fighting with my desire for you..."

She shuddered a little at the hot feel of his breath right at the tip of her ear.

"I want to stare forever into the grass of your eyes, bathe in the milk of your skin...kiss the velvety petals of your lips..."

Rogue watched him in the mirror as he bit his lip, it was incredible how _serious_ he could be when he put his mind to it. How she found herself almost very falling of for it. She felt his fingers slide along the mesh sleeves of her blouse, a delicate and intensely intimate touch she hadn't expected. The necklace fell from her fingers back onto the display it had come from.

"I'd love to taste the sweet grain of your sugary tongue," he continued, his voice getting thicker, his breath getting hotter, he slid his fingers further down her arms to her wrists and down across her gloved knuckles, twining his fingers with hers, "and run mines against the pearls of your teeth..."

Rogue watched his reflection as his head dipped and she could see he was looking at her bust. She felt her heart skip an odd nervous beat. Why was it this wasn't amusing or funny any more? _He looks so serious. How can he just _do this_ without even caring? How many hearts has he broken?_

"I want to feel your hands buried in my hair and for you to tell me that you love me..." he whispered now.

Rogue swallowed hard and stared at him in the mirror. She felt the onset of tears, she could feel the headache that holding them back always caused starting to come on. She composed herself quickly, "Okay...I get it. You're good at using a line or two."

Remy released her hands after a moment, almost reluctantly it seemed, and gave a soft laugh, "yeah, well...I've...had practice. Read a few books, saw a few movies. I know how it works."

"But it doesn't mean anything," Rogue shrugged, she picked up a pair of earrings and held them up to her ears as she tried to will her heartbeat to slow. It seemed to be thudding unusually fast. _Why do Ah feel like cryin'?_ She wondered, feeling angry with herself. It was the same burst of emotion that seemed to have come when Magneto had shown he could touch her. It was so overwhelming, and she didn't understand exactly what it was or where it came from.

Remy did nothing but shrug in response to this.

Putting down the earrings, she sighed, "Ah need to go to the bathroom."

"It's through those doors," Remy gestured several feet away.

"Okay. Just...wait here," she commanded, and with that, she dashed off.

She barely managed to make it into the women's rest-room before she started sobbing hysterically. Luckily the bathrooms were completely empty and so no one was there to see her. She stood there for several moments, trying to catch her breath between pitiful sobs and tears that flowed like rivers. It took longer than she'd expected it to, but finally, she managed to somehow to pull herself together.

She stared at her tear-stained face in the mirror, shaking her head at herself in disgrace. _What the hell is this? Why are you bein' like this?_ She demanded of herself angrily. She grabbed a handful of paper towels, wet them at the sink and began working at clearing away the black and grey streaks her mascara had caused to run down her cheeks.

_You're a mess, and not just physically,_ she thought as she blew her nose after scrubbing off her slightly smudged lipstick. She found a spare eyeliner in her bag, and did her best to reapply what had been lost, although it wouldn't draw on quite as well as her waterlines were still quite damp. Her eyes were pink, and she realised there was no way she was ever going to hide this. With her fingers, she combed her hair forward a little, trying to hide her face in her streaks a little, hoping Remy wouldn't see the mess she looked right now.

_Just pull yourself together,_ she warned herself. _This is probably just PMS or something...it must be that time of the month soon._

When she returned she found Remy standing by a stall selling blood-red slushes, and he was in the middle of purchasing two. She drew a breath and approached him just as he'd finished paying.

"Hey," he said, reaching out with one of the clear plastic cups, "I got you a cherry slush."

"Thanks," she responded, accepting the drink, she put the straw to her lips.

"You've been gone like, fifteen minutes."

"Yeah, there was a line," Rogue shrugged, she hoped he couldn't hear in her voice that she'd been crying, as occasionally after crying, her voice always held an odd tremble, almost as if she were afraid of something.

"Must have been a hell of a line," he sipped on his own, "I took a look around while you were away. There's some little guy signing autographs over in a booth back there...he was in a Leprechaun movie or something. Looks sort of familiar, I think he might have been in a movie from the eighties..."

"Oh," said Rogue, finding it hard to pay attention, her head was still somewhat hurting, and she felt too drained now to properly enjoy this as she had been.

"While you're here, you know, you should look at some clothes," Remy admitted, "there's a display of PVC clothes...someone said they're replicas of the stuff Kate Beckinsale wore in Underworld. I was thinking that would be a _really _hot uniform for you..."

"I bet," Rogue raised an eyebrow as she looked up at him.

"Hey..." Remy paused, "your eyes are kinda red..."

"Yeah, this mascara sucks," Rogue sighed, "the fall out is kind of irritating my eyes."

"Fall out?"

"Some mascaras have this thing where it dries up after a while when you put it on and it starts flaking off and gettin' into your eyes...it makes your eyes sting sometimes."

"I see," Remy said, "you need me to see if I can find eye drops or something?"

"No, Ah'm fine..." she assured, "lets go look at the clothes."

Together, they browsed the clothing stalls, some replica outfits were on display, some expensive, some inexpensive but poorly made. She agreed the PVC outfit Remy had his eye did look rather nice, but it was also ridiculously expensive and out of her price range.

"Five hundred bucks for plastic?" Rogue folded her arms, gazing at the mannequin with the outfit displayed.

"I guess it is a little expensive," Remy checked the price tag, "but something similar to this would look hot on you. Plus, it's a complete cover-up," he gestured, obviously we'd need a little more padding at the knees and elbows, but this is kind of the thing I have in mind for the uniforms for the girls. Maybe leather. Something durable, anyway."

"And what about the guys?"

"Still undecided about that. I'm supposed to see Magneto about it once I have everyone's sizes. I may need to take a measuring tape to everyone."

"Ah can measure myself," Rogue remarked after sipping her slush, "You're not gettin' anywhere near me with a tape. You'd just use it as an excuse to get all touchy feely."

"You know me so well," he teased. "You gonna buy anythin' then?"

"Ah don't think so," Rogue commented, "it's all very nice, but Ah'd look like a dominatrix in that get up. And Wanda pretty much has that look covered."

"I don't know, I don't think you'd look like a dominatrix. A sexy vampire killer, maybe."

Rogue shoved him, "How about you replace that piece of crap coat with something new? A nice leather one?" she gestured to a male mannequin wearing a long leather coat. "Ah think Ah saw that one in _Blade_."

Remy tilted his head as he examined the coat, "it's shit hot, sure, but..." he looked down at his trench coat. "I like this coat. I've had it for years."

"It looks older than you are."

"It belonged to Jean-Luc," Remy admitted, "one of the _only_ things he ever gave me other than grief."

"It's stained, it's threadbare, and it's not even waterproof anymore. It's old fashioned, too."

"I'm still not throwin' it away," Remy looked at her.

"You don't have to, you just need to leave it in a box somewhere so you can maybe give it to your son some day," she shrugged, "the amount of sex you have, you're gonna have a kid somewhere out there eventually," she moved to where the coats were hanging, "come on...try it on," she urged, beginning to feel a little better as her mind was taken away from her troubles by the creak and smell of new leather.

"Wow, the lining is red," Remy said, watching as she took the coat from the hanger.

"Try it on at least," Rogue gestured for him to remove the trench coat.

"Fine," he smirked a little and removed the trench coat and exchanged the trench coat for the leather one. He slipped the item on and went to the full length mirror in the booth, staring at himself almost appreciating how undeniably good he looked in black leather. "Fits like a glove," he admitted, turning and admiring from each angle.

"Yeah," Rogue nodded, "perfect size."

He raised the sleeve where the price tag was attached and winced, "six hundred bucks. I've never spent _sixty_ on a coat, let alone six hundred..."

"Oh come on, don't be a cheap skate, I know you have the cash."

"Oh?" Remy looked at her suspiciously, "and how do you know that?"

"You have a pile of it in your wallet, I _saw_."

Remy frowned, "I see."

"If you don't want people to see how rich you are, at least keep your wallet out of sight. Someone's gonna see the that and steal it, you know."

He suddenly laughed, "seriously? You think _I'm_ gonna get pick pocketed? I'm a thief, I know what to look for."

"Yeah?" Rogue asked, holding his coat, "in case you didn't notice, you already don't have your wallet on you, and for all you know Ah could have just taken a hundred bucks from it while you were lookin' at your reflection in the mirror thinkin' that you looked so good you'd fuck yourself," she teased.

"Hey I _do_ look that good," he smirked. "And anyway, I know you wouldn't take money from me," he added, fixing the collar of the leather coat.

"Wouldn't Ah?" she teased.

"You might pretend you had, but you wouldn't. Because you're an honest person, a good person, and you're above petty thievery. I ain't. That's how I got half that money."

"And the other half?" Rogue asked.

"Workin' for Magneto. _Honestly," _Remy moved to her to take the wallet from the pocket of the coat she was holding.

"You're gonna buy it?"

"You don't think it looks as good on as you thought it would?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It looks great on, Remy. Looks like it was _made_ for you."

"Do I look hot?" he asked, slipping the money from the wallet.

"Oh, totally," she agreed, "Tabitha will be all over you when she sees you in that," she added, laughing.

Remy shuddered a little, "don't say that. She's all over me enough as it is, and it's...well...she's still a kid. It ain't right."

"You have morals, huh?" Rogue asked.

"Surprisingly, yes. Who'd have thought it? A hot blonde teenager who wants to fuck me, and I'm not even interested? I must have morals."

After Remy paid for the coat, they went around the stalls for a little while longer before eventually deciding it was time to leave. When they reached Piotr's van, the rain – which had stopped upon their arrival – was just starting again, and the sky was growing dark as evening arrived.

"Didn't think we'd been in there that long," Rogue admitted, looking up to the sky as Remy fumbled awkwardly with the lock, which didn't work very well half of the time.

"Yeah, it's been a fast day," Remy responded, jiggling the lock a little.

Rogue, who had been carrying Remy's coat up until now, pulled the thing on and put the collar over her head to avoid the rain, "what's the issue?"

"Lock is fucked. It keeps doing this."

"You didn't by any chance tell Piotr you were going to fix that too, did you?" Rogue teased.

"No," he responded.

"What about the passengers side?" she asked. She'd climbed in at the drivers side earlier when the van had been parked too close to the wall in the warehouse yard to get, and when parking outside the convention centre, there had been a truck far too close on the passengers side for her to attempt to get out.

"Yeah, that one doesn't open at all, Pietro drove it once and went through a stop sign so a Denali t-boned right into it. Guy managed to hit the brakes enough that it didn't cause extreme damage but the door is still dented and never opened since."

Rogue rolled her eyes, "remind me to never let Pietro borrow my car, not that I think it could get any more fucked than it already is," she moved to the back of the van and tried the handle, which opened to her delight, "Hey, Piotr didn't lock the back."

"Fuck," Remy uttered, "that...was probably my fault. I was the last one to use the van this morning."

Rogue climbed in, aware of Remy's watching her.

"Why are you wearing my old fashioned, thread-bare, stained coat?" he asked pointedly.

"It's raining and I don't have a coat on?" she asked innocently. "Are you going to stand there in the rain complaining or are you gonna get in?"

"Here, you drive," Remy tossed the keys into her before climbing in to the van himself and pulling the doors shut.

Rogue awkwardly climbed up to the front, which meant climbing over the three seats there, she slipped the key into the ignition and turned, eager to get the heating on as the van was chilly within. The engine simply sputtered, but did not come to life.

Remy leaned over the middle seat just as she was trying a second time with the key, "it's not starting?"

"No."

"Fuck," Remy uttered, "it did this at the supermarket parking lot with Wanda earlier. I'm not sure if it was _her _or the van is just old and needs a new engine..."

"Remy it's really starting to pour," Rogue leaned forward and looked up at the sky through the windscreen, "and it's getting dark."

"I'll go take a look," Remy sighed, "hey, at least I have a waterproof coat," he retrieved his phone from his jeans pocket and switched on the flashlight application, "open the hood...it's that lever right there," he leaned over and pointed.

Rogue opened the hood and waited within the car as Remy went outside in the pouring rain with his makeshift flashlight to try and determine the problem. He yelled at her to try the engine a few times, but it was no good. It simply wasn't going to happen.

After half an hour of Remy's messing around with the engine, and her sitting in the van thoroughly bored, Remy gave up, and got back into the van, sighing as he came over to lean over the seats. "I text Lance," he said, "But he's on a date with Kitty at some concert, so it'll be a few hours."

Rogue groaned, "it's freezing."

"You're wearing my coat."

"A few hours? Seriously? We're supposed to sit here for a few hours?" she asked unhappily.

"Yeah, there's not much else for it. Your car is fucked, so I can't call Tabitha to drive down and get us, and Wanda doesn't have a car."

"What about Magneto?" Rogue asked hopefully. "When my car broke down, he said Ah should have called him and that he'd have come and picked me up..."

"I called him first, I got no answer...just constant ringing," Remy sighed, "short of calling someone from the X-Men-"

"No..." Rogue shook her head, "Ah don't want to do that right now."

"Then we have no choice but to sit here and wait," Remy shrugged.

Rogue leaned back against the seat. "Ah guess we don't."

"I'll be right back, okay?"

"Where you going?"

"I'll be back," he said, and left the van once again. She waited for a while, and listened to music from the MP3 player she'd remembered she'd packed in her backpack. It was another twenty minutes before Remy returned to the van, and the van was in darkness, the only light coming from a streetlight nearby. Rogue slipped the earphones out as she saw him climbing into the van through the rear view mirror.

Remy reached up and switched on the interior light set into the ceiling of the van, he shivered and slipped his soaking wet coat off. "It's really pouring out there. I heard some thunder. Think it's gonna be a storm tonight."

"Terrific," Rogue uttered; she leaned over the back seats to look at him. He knelt down onto the floor of the van, and was in the middle of opening a paper bag. "What's that?"

"Dinner," he said, "I spotted an Indian takeaway place up the road so I sprinted up there...got us some food and some sodas."

"You're a genius," Rogue sighed in relief, not having realised how hungry she was up until she'd smelled the spices as he opened the bag. She climbed awkwardly back into the back of the van and sat down folded legged.

"I hope you like spicy stuff," Remy handed her a couple of napkins before tearing into a large piece of naan bread and handing her some.

"Are you kiddin'? Ah eat chilli peppers raw."

Remy went about setting the food out awkwardly on paper plates, which didn't work out too well with rice and the runny sauce. "I'm sorry the van broke down."

"It's not your fault," Rogue shrugged, she dipped a piece of torn naan bread into the sauce of her meal.

"If I'd fixed your car when I said I would...it'd probably have not broke down and we'd not be here freezing in the back of a transit van that smells like oil and curry," he commented. He chewed on a pakora before continuing. "Gotta admit though, I've had a good day."

"You have?"

"I'm not...you know, into this whole horror thing as much as you are, but it was fun...seeing the outfits, the figurines, the people dressed up in costumes..." he stretched out on his side and tried to get as comfortable as he could, "I feel a lot less stressed now."

"That's all Ah wanted."

Remy stuck his plastic fork into his chicken Jalfrezi, and took a bite, he chewed thoughtfully, his eyes on her all the while. Rogue kept her eyes on his too, remembering the way he'd spoken at the jewellery stall, and how almost authentic it had sounded.

"I have fun with you, Rogue," he said

"You do?" she asked, she took a bite from a large Samosa, but found to not like the taste, so put the other half down on her plate.

"I don't know what it is, but you...just seem to calm me down, make me relax...make me forget about things that stress me out. You make me feel almost _normal._"

"Ah do?" she asked, she took a bite of her lamb dopiaza to try and mask the taste of bad Samosa.

"The way we hang out...in your room...at the diner...it's so..." he seemed to search for the words, "it's...so..."

"Ordinary?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, almost enthusiastically. "I never have that. Nothing ever feels ordinary these days. But the stuff we do together...it does."

"Ah think Ah know what you mean," Rogue responded, "sometimes you get so used to doin' crazy stuff, and the team stuff, and the _mutant _stuff, you start to feel less and less like a person and more like...a soldier or something."

"Exactly," he nodded, "see, you _totally_ get this. It's nice, feeling ordinary, normal, doing what normal people do...even if it's just...bein' caught stranded in the middle of a parking lot in a broken van with you eating curry."

Rogue laughed, "Ah'll take that as a compliment, then."

They talked some more, about the things they'd seen at the convention, about their food, about things in general until eventually, some time past nine pm, Lance and Kitty arrived back from their concert.

"Ah was startin' to think you guys would never get here," Rogue admitted as she climbed into the back of Lance's jeep, Remy getting in at the other side.

"Well, I paid ninety bucks a piece for those tickets, there was no _way_ we were leaving just to come get you guys," Lance looked over his shoulder at them.

"How was the concert?" asked Rogue, pulling on her seatbelt.

"It was awesome," Kitty glanced over her shoulder at Rogue, "we were in the first row! The lead singer totally touched my hand...I am never washing this hand again..." she sighed happily.

Remy made a face, "you may want to if that's the hand you use to-"

Rogue elbowed Remy quickly in the ribs, knowing somehow instinctively what he was going to refer to.

"You still haven't been home to visit," Kitty said, as they drove towards the Xavier mansion. Rogue realised that of course, Lance would drop Kitty off first before the three of them went home to the warehouse together.

"Ah know...but Ah've been busy...and my car broke down."

"You have a car?" Kitty asked, "since when?"

"Remy got me it..." Rogue stated; she noted as they came to a red light, Lance turned and looked over his shoulder suspiciously at Remy. She could tell he was _definitely _asking why Rogue was worth buying a car for.

"It's a wreck," Remy spoke up, "I got a deal on it, but for a first car it's okay. It just a little work..."

Lance coughed, "yeah...a new engine, a new battery, a new transmission, new brakes, new clutch, three new tires, a new window mechanism, new heating system and a fan belt."

"So...basically...it's a steering wheel that needs a whole new car around it?" Kitty cracked.

"Basically," Lance stated. "It's a heap of shit. If you're gonna buy someone a car, Gambit, at least buy something that _works."_

_ "_Hey, give him a break," Kitty smacked Lance's arm, "you didn't buy me a car, and I'm your _girlfriend,_" she pointed out.

Rogue felt vaguely uncomfortable with Kitty's relationship with Lance, maybe it was just anyone in a relationship in general that she was uncomfortable with. _Ah don't think Ah'm ever gonna have somethin' like that._

_ "_So what were you guys doin' at the convention centre?" Kitty asked, glancing over her shoulder again.

"Horror movie convention," Rogue answered.

"Any good?"

"We had a good time," Rogue responded.

The rest of the journey on the way to the Institute was in silence. Rogue glanced over at Remy every now and then who seemed tired, slouched in his seat and staring out of the windows at the trails of rain running down the glass. He looked more relaxed than he had in days.

As the Jeep drove through the gates that led up the drive towards the mansion, Kitty turned back to talk to Rogue once again.

"You should like, come in and visit for a little while why you're here."

Rogue stared out the window, thinking of how different everything looked after weeks of being away. How the grounds seemed bigger, the mansion seemed different, how even the cars parked out front didn't seem the same. "Ah wish Ah could, but it's late. Look at the time, it's nearly ten. It's not really the time for visitin'. But...Ah'll maybe come by durin' the week."

"Promise?" Kitty asked.

"Ah promise," Rogue smiled wanly. The promise wasn't empty, she had to come visit to give Kitty her birthday present. _At least Ah have an excuse to come,_ she thought. Hopefully no one would bombard her with questions. She still wasn't ready to give straight answers yet.

They said their goodbyes in the car, but Lance got out of the car and saw Kitty right to the door. Rogue felt her cheeks flush hot with embarrassment as they kissed goodnight, the kiss lasting several minutes longer than it was probably expected to.

"Couples, huh?" Remy asked casually, tapping his fingers upon his knee absently.

Rogue shrugged, but said nothing. Then something quite unexpected happened. Her hand, which had been upon her own knee, was suddenly covered with _his_ hand. She glanced down, seeing his fingers curl over her own, his bare thumb brushing over the kid leather. In astonishment, she turned to look at him, to question his motives, but he wasn't looking at her, nor was he looking at Lance and Kitty's marathon makeout session. He was simply staring out at the rain, his mind elsewhere.

When Lance returned to the car, Remy seemed to remember himself, for immediately, he removed his hand, sat up straighter in the seat, and folded his arms comfortably over himself.

Rogue was confused, wondering what he'd meant by putting his hand upon hers, and leaving it there for those two minutes. Was it meant as a comforting gesture? Or was it meant as something more? _How do Ah tell the difference when Ah've never had to deal with this before?_ She wondered.

"Did you give her the present?" Rogue asked, trying to tear her mind away from the thoughts.

"Not yet. I'll give it to her on Monday...the X-Men are going to throw her a little surprise party, apparently. Nightcrawler called to tell me last night..."

"Ah should probably be there," Rogue sighed.

"It's at five on Monday, so...if you're gonna catch a ride with me, then would be the time..."

"Is that your way of sayin' there's no way in hell my car is going to be workin' by Monday?" Rogue asked with a pout.

"That car should have been crushed instead of being sold on."

Remy gave a sigh, he didn't seem to like being reminded that the gift idea hadn't quite worked out.

On the drive home, the three said very little to each other. The warehouse was it's noisy self as they got inside; Wanda's music blasting from her room, Pietro and Piotr were watching some kind of sporting event on television, and they were yelling at the television in disappointment as whom ever they were backing seemed to be losing.

Lance went upstairs to join them, and Remy pulled the heavy door shut.

Rogue slipped the soaking wet trench coat she'd borrowed from Remy and handed it to him, "here..."

"For a minute there was wondering if you influenced me to buy this coat 'cause you wanted this," Remy teased as he shook the rain water off the trench coat a little.

"No...it's not my style," she smirked, "thanks for a good day."

"It's me who should be thankin' you, isn't it?" he asked.

Rogue smiled a little, "night, Remy."

Her mind was swimming with thoughts of what had happened today; in her room she undressed and changed into her dry pyjamas, and slipped beneath the covers, thankful for the warmth and comfort of her bed. She tried to focus for a little while on one of her coursework books, but found it quite difficult as exhaustion started to weigh her down.

Just as she was beginning to nod off, a knock came at her door, and she leaned up, confused. "Yeah?" she called out.

The door opened only a little, and Remy's voice came from behind the door. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"I'm decent, if that's what you mean."

He stepped in, closing the door behind himself. He'd changed into a dry t-shirt and a pair of flannel pyjama plants which looked warm and comfortable, and oddly attractive on him.

"Something wrong?" she asked, sweeping her still slightly damp hair back from her face.

"No...just..." he paused, "listen...I'm not too good with this stuff...I can fake it real well, but..."

"Huh?"

He moved over and sat down at the side of her bed so that he was near her. "I had a really good time today."

"You've already said it," Rogue assured.

"But I wanted to thank you."

"For?"

"For...just bein'...you..." he held out something towards her.

Rogue dropped her eyes to a black velvet box in his hand. She hadn't noticed he'd been holding it all this time. "What's...this?"

"Open it," he urged.

Tentatively, she accepted the box, careful not to let their bare hands touch. With nervous breath, she flipped the box open. Inside, she found something she did not expect.

The necklace she'd been admiring at the stall, the red heart suspended by silver roses, with the tiny red gem dangling from the tip of the heart. Her breath caught in her throat, and she raised her eyes to him, surprised and speechless. Astonished, she lifted it out of the box, looking at it with wide eyes.

"I...thought you should have it," he explained.

"Remy...this isn't the pewter one they were displaying..." her eyes caught hallmark on the back of the pendant, and then the little card with the box that stated the authenticity of the item as 'sterling silver bleeding heart'. "This is _real_ silver..."

"You don't like real silver?"

"Ah love real silver..." she stared back to the necklace, "but...this was expensive. Ah saw the price of the silver version...it was over a hundred and fifty dollars..."

"And you gave me _more _than a hundred and fifty dollars worth of friendship, and support, and _help_ since you came here..." he explained.

"You bought this when Ah was in the bathroom, didn't you?" she realised.

"I did," he smirked. "You do like it...right?" he asked hopefully.

"Ah love it...it's...it's probably the nicest thing anyone's ever gave me..." she chewed her lip staring down at the necklace, "Ah...Ah don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything," he went to get up, "I better go...you're tired, and so am I..."

"No...wait..." Rogue stopped him from getting up. There was something about this gesture that made her reluctant to let him go. She _couldn't _just turn him away now, not after this.

"What?" he asked curiously.

"That DVD...we never watched it..." she pointed out. "it's still in my bag."

"But you're tired..."

"Ah'm not tired, she lied, "besides, if we fall asleep...we fall asleep, right?"

"I guess you're right."

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-Two**

* * *

I was gonna post this one in a few days, but I figured, HEY, why not. At least it shows a little more of their relationship growing, etc. Also, I thought those who've been hanging on for the 'romy-ness' might appreciate it, lmao. Part 23 most likely coming in a few days, stay tuned. Thanks for all the super reviews! You guys rock :D


	23. MagneticAttractionPart23

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Three**

* * *

Remy sighed at the end of the film he and Rogue had settled to watch. As the credits rolled and the music begun to play, he turned to see Rogue, who for the forty minutes had been curled up at his side, asleep beneath her covers.

It seemed a shame that what had been one of the best days he'd had in a while had come to a close. Despite the car breaking down and Wanda's hissy fit resulting in a broken kitchen door, the day had gone spectacularly well.

_Perhaps too well,_ Remy thought as he let his head rest against the headboard of her leather bed, and stared up at the ceiling blankly. It'd been the best day he'd _ever _spent with anyone.

_I've been to so many exciting places, done a fuck load of exciting things, seen some exciting stuff. So why is _this_ one of the best days I've ever had in my life? _He asked himself as he forced himself to get up, grabbing the remote from the television and switching it off. The room fell into eerie silence other than the soft occasional sound of Rogue's breath. Remy moved to the dresser to place the remote next to the television where she always kept it. His eyes lifted to the mirror to study his own strangely serene expression.

Looking in the mirror only reminded him of standing behind Rogue at the mirror, when they'd been joking about his pick up lines at the convention. For one moment, it'd been amusing, but then, somehow, without meaning to, it'd become a strangely serious situation.

_Should never pretend to flirt with someone when you're horny,_ he thought, wishing he hadn't spoken words about kissing her rose petal lips, or tasting her tongue. It was no wonder the girl had run off to the bathroom to cry. Making her cry had never been intentional, and he'd seen the onset of tears before she'd played it off and left him standing there by the jewellery booth. His guilt was just _one_ of the reasons he'd bought the necklace.

_Can't tell her that though,_ he realised. _She's proud, doesn't want me to know I made her cry, and I'm not gonna take it from her. If she doesn't want to tell me why she was cryin', or that she was crying at all, then I'm not gonna make her._

His eyes fell to the necklace, which she'd left sitting on the dresser, the box was sitting open and the pendant was staring him in the face. He thought to how beautiful it had looked upon her, how it had suited her, the tiny red jewel hanging from that heart had dangled so dangerously close to her cleavage that he'd nearly lost his mind right then.

_That was why it happened,_ Remy told himself. _You got hot and bothered, and you let your mind wander and for a moment, you got ahead of yourself. You weren't thinking straight. Whenever you get that way, you never do. That's why you're in so much shit with Magneto's daughter._

His eyes fell on the reflection of Rogue as she lay asleep, she seemed to be dreaming as there was the tiniest hint of a smile playing about her lips. Despite her tears, he'd never seen her as happy as she was today. Their joking, their discussions, their sharing Indian food in the back of a transit van, and then to finish with a movie.

He thought about curling up beside her on the bed to sleep beside her as exhaustion began pulling at him. It'd been pulling at him during the whole film but he'd been reluctant to sleep.

_Why didn't you just sleep too?_ He asked himself, he ran his hand through his hair absently. _Because you want to make sure she knows you watched the film all the way through, so you can discuss it, and pretend you enjoyed the film, and so you have something to share with her. Just another way for her to feel closer to you, so you can manipulate her into giving up her ideas of accelerated evolution,_ he thought.

Remy shook his head at his reflection, disgusted with himself. He switched the light off in her room and left it quietly, heading downstairs through the warehouse interior instead of the fire escape outside. He didn't much like the idea of being caught in the rain again tonight, as he felt the slight onset of a cold coming on judging by his runny nose.

_Can't sleep in Rogue's room again, it's getting too weird. She's gonna start asking questions about why you don't want to sleep in your own room. The mold and bad bed excuses are wearing thin, and I'm not ready to tell her about Wanda yet._

Remy had barely gotten to the bottom of the stairs when a slap so hard that he practically saw stars hit him. His head swung left, and his face instantly started smarting as if tiny firecrackers were exploding in unison. He gave a slight gasp, seeing Wanda there, as she'd caught him just coming down at the bottom of the the spiral staircase.

"Wanda...what the-" he put his hand to his face.

"You took _Rogue_ to the horror convention?! Seriously?!"

Rubbing his smarting face, he blinked, his eyes were watering from the pain. This girl definitely knew how to hit. "Yeah...so?"

"What the fuck is this?! You're with her _all _the fucking time!"

"Not all the time," he swallowed what felt to be the taste of blood. _What does this girl slap with? An iron fist?_ Curiously, he ran the two fingers along the inside of his cheek and removed them, finding blood upon his fingers. "Look at this shit, you made me bleed..."

"You think I give a shit? You're running around with some other girl!"

"Running around? Are you a fucking psycho? Rogue is my _friend_."

"Yeah, well according to Lance, you two looked pretty cosy together tonight."

"Since when?"

"She was wearing your coat!"

_I'm gonna kick his fucking ass,_ thought Remy. _What is he playing at, telling Wanda that shit anyway? Why is he gossiping about me?_

"So...it was raining?" Remy made an excuse. "You want me to just let the girl get soaked?"

"Yes! It's not your problem if she decides to go without a coat!"

Remy leaned against the rail of the stairs, shaking his head, trying to ignore the stinging on his face. "Wanda, what the fuck is the matter with you?"

"Are you serious? You're _dating _someone else and you ask me what's the matter?!"

"Dating?" Remy gave a vague laugh, "seriously? You think that was a _date?_ I went to a horror convention with her for fun, it's hardly a date. Besides...this is Rogue we're talking about...you know there can't be anything between me and her physically..."

Wanda folded her arms, "I don't know. For someone who isn't getting any, you spend a _hell_ of a lot of time in her room."

"I watched a few movies in her room. Big deal. What's it to you? You can't tell me what friends I can and can't spend time with. And anyway, since _when_ do you keep tabs on what I do or where I go?"

"This past week you've barely been in your room at all. You're sleeping with her!"

"Sleeping, yes, sleeping _with,_ no. I fell asleep watching DVDs. I'm not _screwing_ her, Wanda."

"Sure sounds like you are. I know you, you don't hang around with people unless you're getting something out of it!" Wanda yelled; her eyes seemed dangerously dark, and her face seemed that odd, feverish way that always seemed to indicate she was close to losing her self-control.

"Keep your voice down!" Remy hissed, "you want everyone to hear?"

"I don't care," Wanda responded, her powers sent the spiral staircase wobbling, and the final step bent beneath his feet, sending him falling backwards against the steps. The rails split and parted, and coiled around his arms, trapping him there.

"Wanda, are you insane!? Control yourself."

Wanda spat at him, "it's _you_ who needs to control yourself!"

"Wanda, I never touched her, I swear!" Remy struggled with the metal rails. "I've _never _been unfaithful to you. Not once, not since the day we started this!"

"You're lying!" Wanda shrieked, the thin wooden panels on the exterior of the gymnasium walls began to split, the nails holding them in place began to spit out, pinging against tables, chairs, and other walls. The panels fell in sequence, one after the other. The angle grinder that Remy and Piotr had only recently purchased at the hardware store came to life with a roar and spun around crazily free of any electrical outlet; the thing spun itself into the nearby table first, cutting one of the legs and tearing it down, then flying into the support beam revealed by one of the fallen panels and began cutting its way through. Remy watched with dismay as all the hard work he and the others had put into the project began to fall apart under Wanda's influence.

"What the hell is going on?!"

Wanda and Remy both turned to look up at the third floor catwalk, Rogue was leaning over, looking sleepily confused.

"Rogue, leave it, go back to bed," Remy warned.

"Like hell...she's hurtin' you!" Rogue seemed to wake up quickly, she headed for the stairs, and at the first step she tumbled as the steps begun to twist and roll. She tried desperately to hold onto what was left of the rails but simply tumbled down and over the left edge of the stairs, and there was a terrible clatter as she did.

Remy heard the cry, but couldn't see over his shoulder as to what had happened to the girl. The others begun to appear, having been awakened by the chaos. First Pietro, standing half naked in boxer shorts, half asleep and rubbing his eyes.

"What the fuck is all the noise?" Pietro demanded, avoiding being pelted by a barrage of nails from another panel.

Piotr was the next to arrive, followed by Lance, and in unison they both demanded "what's going on?"

Tabitha arrived, screaming Rogue's name in horror. Remy couldn't see what was going on, and he tried to twist against the metal and wire that Wanda's powers had affected.

"Wanda? What the hell are you doing?!" Pietro demanded angrily, grabbing his sister's wrist, "are you crazy?!"

Piotr had Wanda's other wrist, and he and Pietro began trying to pull her away from the vicinity, as Magneto appeared finally. Having been awakened by the commotion too.

"What is this?!" demanded Magneto furiously, floating from the area of his bedroom, looking almost striking in a pair of gunmetal satin pyjamas.

"Rogue's hurt," Tabitha called out, "she's bleeding...we need to call an ambulance."

Remy saw Lance dash to the left and disappear behind where he couldn't see.

"Wanda, release him!" Magneto warned.

"No!" Wanda screamed hysterically, "He made this happen, this is his fault."

"Hey boss, it's bad!" Lance called out, "you need to call an ambulance...like...now, or she's going to bleed to death."

Remy struggled, the thought that Rogue might be dying because of him tore through every nerve within him so that he nearly broke his arm trying to get away from the grip of Wanda's insanity.

Something shot through the air and Magneto caught it swiftly before darting to his daughter; it was a hypodermic needle, and Remy watched in horror as Magneto drove the needle into his daughters neck and pushed on the plunger. The commotion began to cease almost immediately, the angle grinder, which had still been crazily cutting at the gymnasium walls dropped with a hard clatter on the floor, lifeless.

Wanda's eyes fluttered, and her body relaxed and slumped in the arms of both Pietro and Piotr, sedated almost immediately. Pietro and Piotr simply let her down upon the floor and lay her there before rushing to see what had happened to Rogue. The metal and wire holding Remy began to uncoil at Magneto's command and Remy let out a cry as the wire that had practically started to embed itself into his arm was released.

Hastily, he turned to where Rogue had fell to discover she'd fallen into a box of discarded building waste from the gymnasium project. He moved to her side and gripped her wrist. His eyes spotted the thin pipe she'd landed upon immediately, a foot of it was jutting out of her ribcage and her hand was gripping onto it.

"Oh fuck..." Remy whispered.

"Why is no one calling an ambulance?!" Tabitha demanded, near tears, "do you want her to die?!"

"We need to move her," Lance said.

Magneto moved to see the damage, his face paled, "do not move her...not yet," he instructed, he pushed aside both Lance and Tabitha to make room so he could reach Rogue's body suspended by the pipe. Remy watched in astonishment as the man reached across and put his bare hand upon her neck.

Horror ran Remy's blood cold as Magneto was not affected by her powers. It could mean only one thing. "She's...she's..."

"She still has a pulse..."

"Oh man," said Pietro, he moved back as his bare feet touched some of the blood that was spilling out onto the cement floor.

"Don't just stand there!" Remy looked at them all, "aren't you going to do something?!"

"Even if we called an ambulance, they're never going to get here before she's dead," Pietro said, sounding unusually concerned.

"So what do we do?" Lance asked.

Tabitha grasped Magneto's sleeve, "can you save her?"

Remy drew his breath. _Stop panicking. Be a leader, you need to get this under control, standing here staring at her isn't going to save her! _"Pietro...use your powers, run as fast as you can to the Xavier Mansion, set off their alarms if you have to but do it."

"The Xavier..." Pietro began to repeat.

"Tell them there's been an accident, and that you need Wolverine to get here as _soon_ as he can."

"But..."

"No time to argue, for fucks sake!" Remy yelled, he tried to swallow his fear that he may very well be about to lose his friend. "Go!"

Pietro disappeared faster than a streak of lightning. The warehouse doors swung open almost as if on their own and there was a flash of lightning outside and the rumble of nearby thunder.

"I must fetch medical supplies. Do _not _under any circumstances try to move her. And do not touch her skin...she must not go into any kind of shock," Magneto warned them, and then took off towards his room.

Rogue's eyes fluttered open and closed momentarily as she went in and out of consciousness. Every now and then her breath would catch in her throat and tears of pain would spill down the sides of her face. The minutes seemed to pass like hours and Remy's fear grew with each second.

"You're gonna be fine, chere," Remy promised, he stroked her hair trying as best he could to not touch her flesh. "Wolverine gonna be here soon, he gonna heal you..."

"Why did Wanda do this?" Tabitha demanded, wiping her tears of distress.

Refusing to go into it while Rogue was in this condition, Remy ignored Tabitha, and kept talking to Rogue as she began to come to again. "Try to stay with us, chere. You're gonna be fine, I promise..."

"What's...goin' on..." came Rogue's strained tone, her eyes shut tightly, her body tense in pain.

"Keep still...you're hurt..." Remy kept his hand firm on her shoulder, "You need to not move...help is comin'."

"Wanda...she..."

"Don't worry 'bout her," Remy pleaded with her, stroking her hair with the other hand, "just try to relax..."

"I can't breathe..." she croaked.

Magneto returned, some medical supplies that had _clearly _been stolen from a hospital in his arms.

"She can't breathe," Remy said quickly to his employer, "what's happening to her?"

"The pipe has gone through a lung," Magneto said quickly, "if I remove it, she'll drown in her own blood."

Remy's breath caught in his throat.

"When Wolverine arrives, we must wait until she has begun to absorb his abilities _before_ we move her, to ensure that the healing process will quickly begin."

"Can't you do something for her? For the pain?"

"I don't keep those kinds of drugs here," Magneto responded, he was using a stethoscope to check her heart beat.

"But you _do_ keep sedatives?" asked Remy incredulously.

"In case of emergencies," Magneto said. He frowned in concentration, looking at the pipe. Rogue's back arched, and she cried out in agony.

"What are you doing to her?!" demanded Tabitha in fear.

"Adjusting the width of the pipe," said Magneto, "to slow the bleeding. The more blood she loses, the less likely she will _survive_."

"Remy..." Rogue turned towards him, her voice thick with pain, "Ah just wanted...to tell you...in case Ah die...that Ah had a nice time..."

"I did too, Chere," Remy swallowed hard, "but you are _not _gonna die tonight. In no way are you gonna die...help is comin'...I promise..."

"It's Wanda...isn't it?" Rogue swallowed, then coughed, and blood spluttered a little from her lips. Remy felt it land upon the very cheek Wanda had smacked only ten minutes before.

"Rogue...Chere...you mustn't talk," Remy soothed, he caught Magneto gazing at him briefly, an expression full of suspicion building upon his face.

"It's Wanda..."

"Wanda did this...yes...but it's not her fault..." Remy tried, desperately trying to appease both Rogue and Magneto by not revealing the secret.

Several minutes passed, and Remy did his best to hold himself together while watching as Magneto checked for her vital signs, noting that the man could still touch her skin without being absorbed.

"How...how...can you do that?" Remy asked, "why isn't she-"

"Move out of the way!"

Remy heard the growl of Wolverine's voice before he saw him, and he felt himself being shoved roughly out the way before he'd even known what had hit him. His hands landed in a pool of Rogue's spilled blood on the floor and suddenly he felt quite sick. He leaned up, looking at his hands stained with red and the overwhelming need to vomit came. He turned and sped off towards the open door, pushing Pietro out of the way as he did.

The warehouse door was still open, and Remy practically tripped outside falling onto the wet yard just as the first wave of vomit escaped. His stomach convulsed each time as wave after wave came up, and he could no longer even hold onto his bladder the sickness was this intense.

"Are you okay?" he heard Piotr's voice at his back and felt the large Russian's hand upon his shoulder.

"Fine..." Remy tried, wiping his mouth on his bare arm, trembling violently with the sickness. Even with the rain pouring he could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead. He had never felt so suddenly ill. "Is she...?" he tried to ask, but yet again, another wave of vomit prevented him from being able to do much else but lean over and part with his earlier meal.

"She is absorbing power," said Piotr, "and the bleeding is already stopping. She is nearly off pole now. She is expected to heal."

Remy looked down at mess his sickness had made, food that wasn't even half-digested. He wondered if it'd been the fear of what would happen to Rogue, or if it had been the meal from the Indian restaurant. Either way, he suddenly did not feel very well.

"Are you better?" asked Piotr.

"I think it's a bad curry," said Remy, he dry heaved but nothing came up, it seemed for now the sickness was over.

"You are soaking," said Piotr, although he too, was starting to get soaked from the pouring rain.

Remy realised it was probably just as well he _was _soaking wet from the rain, as it would hide the fact he'd been unable to hold onto his bladder. "I'm fine..."

"You should come inside."

"In a moment," Remy assured, glad that at least even Piotr knew well enough to _not _ask what exactly had just happened, and why Wanda had attacked both him and Rogue in this strange manner. Piotr left him and went back inside, and Remy remained outside a few more moments, determined to make sure he wasn't going to be sick inside the warehouse, reluctant to let the others see how affected he was at this moment.

_Did she know what she was doing?_ Remy wondered. _Did she want to kill Rogue? Is Rogue really in danger or...is it an accident?_

Remy wondered if he would _ever _really know.

* * *

Rogue heard the voices in the room before she opened her eyes. It took a moment for the pain to come, almost as if it had been set on a five second delay. It seemed to shoot through her, hot, and hard, and she coughed turning to see blood splatter on the dark grey silk pyjamas that Magneto was wearing.

She was coughing blood. She could feel herself choking on it and struggled to breathe.

"Relax, Rogue, don't struggle yet, just relax, it'll be over soon," she heard Wolverine's voice soothing her, and she felt his hot hand against her forehead as he tried to hold her steady.

Opening her eyes she looked forward to see the pipe jutting out of her rib cage and she realised why she was coughing blood. Everything seemed strangely blurred, she could feel herself blacking in and out of what was going around, she could hear the voices of the others, and then nothing. She felt that pulling sensation of her powers against Logan's, of feeling like a human magnet, drawing him deep into her.

Her own memories seemed to mix with Logan's and memories of being with Remy, of being happy and unhappy at the warehouse mixed with Logan's battles, his inner demons and his inner rage.

As she continued to come in and out of consciousness, she heard Magneto warning Logan to take his hand away from her if he didn't want to die.

When she came to again, she was in her room. There was a white sheet laid over the bed and she was upon it., she saw her blood upon it when she turned her head and she coughed, seeing more of her blood stain the once pristine cotton. Her eyes moved to her almost bare torso, she was wearing nothing but her panties, and she was covered with blood. A towel had been thrown across her bare chest for modesty which she was thankful for although she found herself absurdly wondering just how much of her breasts either man had seen. Who else had seen?

Magneto's hand was pressing a wad of cotton against the wound upon her ribs. She winced at the strength he was forcing upon to it.

Coughing again and racked in pain, she asked, "Am Ah gonna die?"

It certainly seemed so. Although she'd absorbed Logan's powers, she felt none the better for it, and only felt the agony and the conflict of memories and thoughts and feelings. She felt so weak and giddy that her mind felt oddly detached from her entirely.

"Try not to cough," she heard Magneto soothe, "and no, you won't die. You're already healing. Wolverine is here and his powers will keep you alive."

Slowly, feeling that even the slightest movement was so painful it might kill her, she turned to face Logan, whom she felt holding onto her gloved hand tightly, as if trying to hold her right there to the earth. He looked pale, and his steely eyes were almost dead with exhaustion. She could see the physical effects her powers had upon him. He'd let her powers drain him nearly too far.

"I must go get some items to stitch the wounds," Magneto said, "Keep this held against her as hard as you can."

Logan's hand held firmly to the cotton swab, and Magneto disappeared out of the room. Rogue tried to focus but found it difficult to do so, she was so exhausted, but was almost afraid to sleep should she slip into complete death.

_Ah can't die like this, Ah can't...not yet..._

"Relax, kid, you're going to be fine," Logan said, his voice gruff, thick with exhaustion, he looked as bad as she felt, her blood was on his hands, even upon his face in tiny little specks. "You'll heal...and when you're well enough, I'll take you home..."

"Ah am home," she groaned.

"No. Your _real_ home. Back with the X-Men. Where you _belong_..."

She closed her eyes and tried to shake her head in refusal, "No...Ah can't...not yet," she croaked. She tried to breathe but something felt horribly wrong with trying to do so, and she coughed once again, more blood coming up on the pillow.

"Stop talking. The pipe went through a lung, you need to let it rest and heal."

"Ah'm not goin' home..." she tried breathlessly, "Not yet, not 'til-"

"This is what you _want?"_ Logan asked, "Your blood on Magneto's hands?!" despite his weakness, she thought he mustered up the anger rather well.

"Ah'm so close..." she closed her eyes, beginning to feel the tug of the blackness again. "So close to being-"

"Don't speak," Logan ordered again, he sighed, "Rogue...give up this stupid idea and come home..."

"If Ah don't do this now...Ah've got no reason to live..."

"If you stay here, I can't protect you," Logan pleaded with her softly.

Feeling very faint, she replied, "Remy...will..."

At this, the darkness came again to claim her.

* * *

Remy's heart was still beating quite fast as he entered back into the warehouse. He had been on his way to return to see how Rogue was but she had been moved from the box, and all that remained was the blood as evidence of what had nearly been her final night alive. Lance, Pietro and Piotr were no longer anywhere to be seen, and Remy assumed they'd all gone back to their bedrooms for the night. Wanda had been moved, most likely back to her own room.

Remy felt a pang of guilt as he stared back to Rogue's blood. As much as he wanted to blame Wanda for everything, he understood reluctantly that there was no one to blame but himself for this mess. To even _think_ of her being close to death brought such despair on him that the happiness he'd felt only hours ago seemed like a distant memory.

_I should have been honest with them both instead of keeping things and causing this stupid fight. Rogue could have died, and it'd have been my fault. _

His heart sank, as he realised he would have never been able to live with himself if Rogue had died due to his mistakes.

Remy spied Wolverine, who was sitting at the bottom of the spiral staircase leading up to the third floor catwalk. The staircase was in tact again, and Remy realised Magneto had mended it immediately...no one would have guessed that only half an hour ago he'd been a prisoner to it.

Wolverine glanced up as Remy approached; he looked drained, his eyes dull and tired, his face pale, his skin sallow. Remy could see at once that he'd been absorbed so much he barely had the energy to move right now.

"You can't go up there," Wolverine said, sounding ill. "Magneto is in there stitching her up."

"How is she?"

"She'll live," Wolverine answered, sounding quite upset, "but she wasn't strong enough to absorb as much of my powers as she needs to. Powers absorbed from other mutants only last for so long for her. A wound like that would even take _me_ a couple of days to completely recover from. She'll need to keep absorbing my powers, soon as I'm strong enough for her to take them."

Remy sighed in relief, at least it seemed as if his plan of calling Wolverine to come help had worked out.

"So...you mind telling me what the fuck happened?"

Remy looked away from the man, shaking his head, "I don't know...I-"

"I said _what the fuck happened,_" Wolverine said again, this time more coldly, more force behind it.

"I fucked up."

"No, fucked up isn't an explanation. It's a _fact. _ I want to know _how_ my friend ended up nearly _dying_ tonight."

Remy turned to look him straight in the eye, but couldn't find a way to really start the explanation.

"This _isn't_ what I paid you for, LeBeau. I paid you to change her mind, not _kill_ her."

"It was Wanda...she went nuts. She's unstable," Remy tried.

"And you had nothing to do with that?" Wolverine asked weakly.

"Does it matter? What matters now is that Rogue is _safe_."

"Safe? Is that what you call that?!" Wolverine gestured towards the pool of smeared blood. "That doesn't look safe to me."

Remy sighed. He didn't want to have this argument. All he wanted to do was go upstairs and see Rogue, make sure she was all right.

"She's coming home soon as she's able to _move_. Soon as her pain is eased off, I'm taking her from here."

"The hell you are," Remy frowned, "you're not walking out of here with her just because you think you know what's best for her! She's a grown woman, and you're trying to make her decisions for her!"

"So are you," Wolverine stood up, slightly unsteadily, still under the effects of Rogue's abilities. "You think you aren't guilty of that too after you made the deal with me to influence her to change her mind?"

Remy frowned, he tried to hold onto himself. At this particular moment, the stress was building again so much that all he wanted to do was lash out at someone.

"You weren't too interested in her rights when you sat there with me in the cafe, bargaining for more money to make the decision _for her,_" Wolverine growled.

He turned away from the smaller man, his stomach was still quivering and his heart was still pounding furiously. "Yeah, well, the deal is off. I'm done."

Wolverine snorted, "I should have figured you'd stiff me."

"Oh don't worry, you'll get your deposit back," Remy sneered, "with interest if that's what it takes to get you off my back. But I'm not gonna be part of this any more. That girl is in _pain_. Not physical pain neither, but the mental kind. And if she wants to go ahead with whatever she thinks Magneto can do for her, then it should be her decision. And no one, not you, your professor, or Scott Summers, or even me, no one got the right to tell her how to live her life."

Wolverine held onto the rail, watching him, his expression suddenly quite knowing. "You think I don't get what this is about, don't you?"

Remy rolled his eyes, "what _is_ it about?"

"You've fallen for her."

There was a lurch in Remy's stomach and he swallowed back the taste of vomit and unease all at once.

"You've gotten to know her, and you've grown to want her. Suddenly you figured out that you can't _have_ her unless you stand back and let this evolution take place. That's why you've not even bothered to really work at getting her to come home to us...because you don't want her to leave. Not until you've had what _you _want from her, anyway."

Remy shook his head, "no..."

"Let me give you a piece of advice," Wolverine took the final step down the spiral staircase and moved across to Remy, his gait slow, the exhaustion apparent, "I know your type, I know how you operate. You go through girls like they're disposable tissues. But every now and then a girl comes along that's a _challenge..._"

"No..." Remy responded again, still shaking his head. "That's not it at all...Rogue isn't a challenge," he admitted truthfully, "I care about Rogue...She's..."

"She's _off limits._ She's too good for the likes of you," Wolverine began to walk towards the open door leading out to the yard.

"The likes of me?" Remy blinked, he turned to follow, "what the fuck do you mean by that?"

"You know what I mean," Wolverine responded, his voice weak, "opportunity arises and you would quickly deceive her for a lousy buck."

"And you _didn't _deceive her_?" _Remy demanded angrily, "you were the one offerin' to pay _me_ to deceive her! You're just as bad!"

_ "_Maybe I did try to deceive her," Wolverine stopped near the door, "but I tell you something, LeBeau. I didn't _have_ anythin' to gain from it. You on the other hand...did. And that's the difference. When I made our deal, I was makin' it out of love for that girl. You on the other hand, you did it out of love for yourself."

Remy glared at the man, but could find no response. _How can I argue with a comment like that?_

_ "_I'll be back in the morning so that she can absorb more of my powers. In the meantime, I don't care if you sleep or not, but you better guard her with your life, or it may not be worth living. I won't think twice about killing you myself if _anything _happens to that girl," Logan stated icily. _ "_And another thing...you stink of piss."

Remy frowned.

_He's right. I did take the money...I did make a deal to gain from it. But it was _before _I knew her...before I..._

As Logan climbed onto his bike which was parked in the yard and the thing sped off at an astonishing speed, Remy felt queasy once again.

The realisation hit him. Logan was right.

B_efore I fell for her._

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-Three**

* * *

**Well things picked up a bit for this part, and hopefully everyone is still enjoying. I think a lot of people saw the shit storm hitting the proverbial fan eventually, lmao. Thanks as always for the kind reviews, and I hope you're all having/have had a super weekend. **


	24. MagneticAttractionPart24

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Four**

* * *

When Rogue awakened that Sunday morning, she felt the sharp internal pain of her injuries the moment she tried to even shift from her uncomfortable position. Groggy memories of the events that led to her fall swayed in and out like a weak tide. She could only vaguely remember the argument between Remy and Wanda that had disturbed her from an otherwise peaceful slumber. The details of their argument, she couldn't remember clearly, only that Remy had been tangled up in the rails of the staircase, and that Wanda had been screaming at him.

She tried to turn in the bed but it was impossible. There was still too much pain for that.

She rolled her head to the side to see that Remy was sitting upon the floor, his back against the wall, his neck bent forward; he seemed to be asleep. She wondered how long he had been there? All night?

As she tried to sit up, she found that her pyjama top was different. _Ah was bleeding_, she remembered. If she closed her eyes for a moment she could almost picture the pipe sticking out of her rib cage, and she could remember being almost naked on the bed as Magneto tried to treat her wounds. She pulled her top up weakly to examine the dressings taped in place, and she saw a small spot of blood on the white gauze. A grim reminder of how close to death she had been.

_Ah really could have died. Ah felt myself dying..._

Again, she tried to sit up, the pain was still excruciating, and she didn't mean to cry out quite as loudly as she did. The sound disturbed Remy, who immediately looked up, his eyes puffy, his face pale. He shot up, nearly tripping up on his own feet as he scrambled to get to her bed.

"What is it? Are you all right?" he asked hastily, still groggy from his sleep.

"Ah'm fine..." she said weakly, "Ah'm uncomfortable though...it hurts to move."

"Try to keep still...the stitches might burst," Remy said gently. "Wolverine came and touched you so you'd absorb some his healing powers. You were unconscious most of the time and too weak to absorb a whole lot but you took enough to get you off the critical list. Most of the internal damage is healed, but you still have the wounds. Magneto still had to stitch the wounds up..." he sat carefully on the edge of her bed.

"Is Wolverine still here?" Rogue asked as she let her head rest back against the pillows. She could only partly remember arguing with him that she didn't want to go back to the mansion, that she couldn't go, not yet.

"No...but he'll be back later so you can absorb some more of his powers."

Rogue placed her hand against the wound, although it caused pain to do so. "What happened..."

"Don't you know?"

"Ah don't remember a whole lot," she groaned in pain.

"Wanda was having another one of her famous pissy fits, and you walked in the middle of it..." he said, sounding somewhat vague.

"She had you trapped..." she stated, remembering that part clearly.

"I pissed her off."

Rogue wondered when it was he was going to admit to her exactly what had happened. She could only remember the vaguest parts of the argument, but from what she _had_ seemed, the argument had seemed to be a lot more personal than he was letting on. Suddenly two and two seemed to add up to four, and four and four made eight. Things started making sense.

"It's Wanda...isn't it?" she asked weakly, feeling quite hurt.

Remy stared at her, he seemed quite bothered about the question, but hastily recomposed himself, straightened his back a little and said, "Huh?"

"Don't play stupid."

"Sorry, I don't know what you mean," he responded, his lie was blatant and obvious, even for as good a liar as he was.

"That you've been sleeping with."

His eyes fell to the floor, and he gave a deep sigh. Remy LeBeau had a whole lot in his life to feel guilty about but he had never looked more guilty of anything than he did this.

"Ah'm not an idiot, you know," she muttered. Even speaking hurt, each breath did too.

"How much did you hear?"

"Ah barely heard any of it," Rogue sighed, "but...it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it had to be Wanda. She's one of the only other two other girls here, and you said you wouldn't sleep with Tabitha. Lance says you rarely _ever _leave the warehouse..." she tilted her head to look at him. "So the choices are limited...and Ah'm pretty certain it's not _me _you've been banging, Remy_._"

Remy kept his eyes averted from hers, he still seemed quite ashamed.

"Are you going to say anything?" she demanded.

"I..."

"Talk for gods sake," she hissed in pain.

"It's been going on for about a month."

Rogue listened, keeping her eyes away from his.

"She's...just...she's impulsive, and we were bored, and it just sort of...happened."

"It just happened?" she raised an eyebrow. She could barely focus on the conversation her pain was so intense.

"I-" he tried.

"Sex doesn't just sort of happen, Remy. It isn't an _accident_ like you just _accidentally_ fell into her pants and _whoops, _you _accidentally_ kept slamming in and out of her!" she growled.

After a moment of contemplation, he tried to explain himself, and did so rather poorly. "I thought it was just a casual thing. She gave every indication that it _was._ But suddenly me and you start spending time together and she started getting jealous."

Rogue snorted, "why would she be jealous of me? We're just friends."

"I've told her that but...girl ain't in her right mind. You know that," Remy rubbed the back of his neck, "Anyway...a week ago she comes out and tells me out of the blue that she wants more."

Rogue found this quite surprising, as she thought the idea of Remy and Wanda as a couple didn't quite work. She could definitely see it working _sexually_, with Wanda being as provocative and obviously promiscuous as she was. With Remy being as open to experience and receptive to the idea of sex, there was no doubt in her mind that it'd been impossible for the guy to say no. But she couldn't see it working _romantically _between the two. In fact, she couldn't see it working romantically with _any _girl and Remy LeBeau.

"So...are you two exclusive now?" Rogue asked. She wasn't sure why she felt so incredibly unhappy with the idea.

"No. I told her I didn't think it'd work out, but she started getting all emotional and told me she didn't think she wanted to live if she couldn't have me. I couldn't just...dump her then after hearing that so...I tried to reason with her that maybe we should try to be _friends_ first, not have sex and work from there. I was hoping she'd get bored of not having sex – 'cause this girl is a fucking nymphomaniac...she wants it...all the time."

Rogue made a face, somehow she wasn't surprised about this.

"She's still been on my back all the time for sex...any time we're alone together, she's tryin' it on with me."

"Ah guess that's why you've been spendin' time up here," Rogue realised at once. "So you can avoid her."

"I came up here to spend time with you," Remy said rather quickly, his expression still guilty.

"Don't bullshit me, Remy," Rogue sighed, "Ah'm in too much pain to deal with your lies today. Ah'd rather you just be straight with me and cut out all the bullshit."

"All right," he sighed, "fine...I was avoiding her. It's why I wanted to sleep up here...so I _could_ get some sleep."

Rogue frowned at him. "So you used me. You fucking used me. _Again._"

"It wasn't using you, chere..." he tried, sounding quite feeble in his attempt to convince her of this.

"Don't," Rogue warned him, "Ah told you not to bullshit me."

"I like spending time with you," He stated, "you know that. Why else would I go to a horror convention when I don't even like horror movies if I _didn't_ like being with you, Rogue? Why would I sit and watch that godawful tacky _Sleepaway Camp_ movie if I didn't like you?"

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "You watched the whole thing huh?" she asked weakly, disbelieving this.

"Yes, I did," he nodded, looking terribly defeated.

"And how does it end?" she demanded, not sure why it felt so important that he did. Perhaps it was the idea that he'd make that effort. She'd never known anyone who would go to the lengths of watching such a film just to appease her. At least if he'd watched it through to the end, it meant he at least cared enough to try...

"It ends..." he swallowed, "with a really fucked up shot showin' that the girl-"

"Angela," Rogue corrected.

"That Angela...wasn't all she seemed to be..." he finished, his voice thick.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Rogue looked away from him, it was hard to look at him right now, with that boyish expression that he _knew_ he'd done wrong. He almost resembled a child being reprimanded. Remy might have suddenly been five years old, being told off for having his hand in the cookie jar. "Why the hell didn't you just _tell_ me you were sleeping with Wanda in the first place?" she asked irritably. "Why all the fucking lies?!"

"I didn't lie...I just...didn't tell you..." he tried to explain, seeming most unhappy about this.

"Why? You said you were my _friend_, if you thought that then you _could_ have told me..."

"I didn't want _anyone_ knowing. I...hate feeling _ashamed _of anythin' but...I was. I _am. _It was supposed to just burn itself out. But it never did. And...I thought if I told you, you'd just...be disgusted with me."

"Ah am..." Rogue coughed, still feeling a little sore internally as she did so. She made a face.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed, "I'm a pervert, right? A sex fiend, an asshole, a jerk..."

"Your obsession with sex _isn't_ what bothers me," Rogue said quickly, throwing him a dangerous look. "Ah knew you were a fucking pervert, Ah've been in your head more than once, I know you have sex on the fucking brain," she reminded. "What pisses me off...what _bothers_ me...is that you slept with a girl you _know_ isn't in her right mind. _More_ than once."

"Well...I..." he gritted his teeth.

Rogue winced at her pain, "you took advantage..."

"No, wait a minute," he held up his hand in his defence, "I took _advantage_ of her? Are you serious? She came in one day and practically just mounted me even _after _I told her I wasn't in the mood_. _I let _her_ take advantage of _me._"

"And you never took advantage in _all _those weeks?" Rogue asked pointedly.

He seemed to need a moment to think about this properly, and then he responded unhappily with "Once. And _only_ once. I never took advantage any other time. I did, however, just let _her_ take advantage on a repeated basis...it seemed...like the best solution at the time."

"Remy, you repeatedly let a woman who isn't in her right mind have sex with you and you _didn't_ expect this to happen eventually? You thought it would just all go away magically? That there were no repercussions?!" every time she tried to yell the pain shot through her and made her gasp.

"When your dick makes the decisions for you, it's hard to think of consequences..." Remy sighed, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For?"

"Letting you down..." he got down onto his knees by the side of her bed, ready to plead. "For dragging you into it, getting you involved, endin' up getting you hurt. You're the last person I wanted to see hurt..." he placed his hand up on her arm.

If he hadn't admitted to all he'd just admitted to, she might not have recoiled so very quickly in the way she did. But in this case, she had to, still feeling quite dismayed with the whole thing. Before she took her eyes off of him, she caught the expression of hurt in his eyes that she pulled away from his touch. She couldn't feel sorry for him right now, not after what he'd done.

She'd thought he was slightly more sensible than this. She'd been admiring how clever he'd been, how much of a quick thinker he was, and how he always seemed to know what he was doing. This whole thing with Wanda just spoke of pure and utter stupidity and selfishness.

"You know the sad part," Rogue asked, grimacing at her pain, "Ah feel bad for Wanda."

"Are you _serious?" _he blinked, "why would you feel sorry for her?! She nearly _killed_ you!"

"Ah know what it's like bein' in love with someone you can't have, Remy. It's heartbreakin'. That girl can't control her powers _or _her emotions. And she has to deal with wonderin' what it was about her that wasn't good enough for you. She'll probably be askin' herself for some time what she did wrong."

"I can't believe you're siding with her..." Remy stared at her in dismay.

"I can't believe you'd let a mentally unstable get involved with you and then act like you didn't expect there to be consequences. You're smarter than that, Remy. Or at least, Ah thought you were."

His face fell, and he seemed quite dejected.

"All this time I've been here thinking how _smart_ you are, how you had it all figured out, all together. Ah _admired _you...Ah _believed_ in you...and this whole time you've been unravellin' right before my eyes. Ah don't think Ah even know you!" Rogue hissed, then shut her eyes tightly as the pain reminded her not to even raise her voice. "And you know what...Ah don't blame Wanda one bit for gettin' mad, Remy."

"I suppose you're not going to blame her for hurting you either," Remy remarked, suddenly sounding quite bitter.

"Ah don't think she _meant_ that to happen," Rogue responded, she placed her hand over her wound and winced in pain.

"Chere..." he reached for her once again, quickly, with her other hand, she swatted him away.

"Don't..." she felt tears brimming her eyes of pain. "Just get out of my room...Ah can't even look at you right now."

"But..." he tried to console her, but she wasn't having any of it.

"No!" Rogue yelled, and as she did so she went to lean up. A pain shot through the wound in her back and she gave a sharp gasp.

"Chere..."

She closed her eyes tightly, trying to focus on the pain leaving her but it was not. "Pain..." she gasped again. She felt him lean down to her and put his arm around her shoulders to lift her slightly, the other hand she felt beneath her back just where the wound was. Even his touch was pure agony.

She opened her eyes as he released her and stared at his hand, which was bright red with her blood.

"Oh fuck..." he whispered.

"It hurts," she whimpered.

"I'm gonna get help, okay, just...just stay put..."

"Does it look like Ah'm gonna go somewhere?" she gasped in pain. It was the last thing she remembered before the pain caused her to finally black out.

* * *

Remy had never felt so scared in his life as he had in the past twelve hours. Remy LeBeau ever rarely cried, but the stress was getting to be so much that he could feel it coming on and he didn't want to be in _anyone's _presence when it occurred. The knowledge he was crumbling was bad enough, but the thought of letting others see it was too soul destroying to allow.

He climbed to the roof of the warehouse, hoping no one would think to look for him up there. He stared out at the woodlands, the trees were swaying around in the bitter October wind that had begun to howl furiously. The rain had stopped for now, but he could feel the occasional pinpoint sized drop of it hit his cheek; the grey clouds above promised much more of it to come.

_This is all your fault,_ he told himself angrily as he swiped at the tears that kept threatening to spill down his cheeks. He wasn't about to let himself cry completely, but he couldn't fight these occasional leaks that kept springing all the same.

_Rogue nearly died because of you, her stitches burst because of you..._

Even though Rogue was going to survive her injuries thanks to Wolverine, Remy couldn't make himself feel any less guilty. _You ruined it. You had this...incredible friendship...she was right there in front of you, and it felt _good_ to not be a fucking outcast for once, to _have_ someone. And you ruined it. She couldn't even stand you to touch her, couldn't bear you near her... _

Thoughts of what Wolverine had said last night were still fresh in his mind as much as the sight of Rogue's blood was.

_ Is he right? _Remy wondered. _Do I want her? Is that why I keep dreaming about having sex with her? Is that why I haven't worked harder at trying to talk her out of evolution? _

It didn't seem right to him. It didn't _feel_ completely sexual to him. There was a sexual element, yes. He was attracted to her somewhat, yes. But there was something else to it.

_You've fallen for her,_ Remy thought. _That was what Wolverine said. He thinks I've fallen for Rogue. How could he know that if I don't even really know if that's what __it is? How do you know when you've fallen in love with someone?_

No one had ever explained it to him. If they had, he wondered if he'd have even listened properly. He'd been too interested in falling in _lust_ to bother with falling in _love._ Falling in love was for _normal_ humans. For people who wanted to settle down, have some kids, a joint bank account and maybe some pets, maybe even a mortgage.

Falling in love for mutants felt pointless to Remy. Constant element of danger, why bother building a life with someone when that life could be snatched away at any given time by any number of incidents? .

_Spend every moment havin' one experience after the other, never settle,_ that'd always been Remy LeBeau's philosophy. Only now...he had settled. He'd settled into being the leader of a team of mutants, and it felt...permanent. It wasn't temporary like everything in his life had ever been. He was almost starting to _see_ a future somewhere in what he was doing even if he hated it all the same.

_Why put in all this hard work if there's not a future to work for?_ Remy wondered.

He supposed it didn't matter in the end. Even if it was love he felt for the girl, all chances of it were ruined now. Wanda had made sure of that. Rogue wasn't likely to trust him now that she felt used by him again. And he wasn't even sure how he was going to deal with Wanda. He had the feeling he was going to pay for his betrayal, and he supposed in a way it would be no less than he deserved.

_Brought this all on yourself. Serves you right. _

"I have been looking all over for you."

Remy turned to see Magneto there, floating by the edge of the roof, his hair stirring in the wind. "Came up here to be _alone_," he responded, hoping it would be enough to make his employer go.

"We should talk," said Magneto. "I expected you to come by my office as I requested last night, but you did not. I see I shall have to bring the discussion to you."

Remy let his arms rest on his knees and stared out at the woods again, "fine."

Magneto came over to him, and sat beside him on the dirty roof.

"How's Rogue?"

"Resting. Wolverine returned and has provided her with more of his power. For now, her wounds are healing. I do not doubt she will be healed by tomorrow morning. Her body should be well enough for her to return to school with no complications."

"Good," Remy nodded. "Wanda wake up yet?" he asked casually. The last he'd known, she'd still been heavily sedated.

"She has."

"I see," Remy glanced down at his hand absently, and picked at a loose piece of dry skin hanging by his fingernail.

"She told me about your...arrangement with her."

The fear of God rushed through Remy. _Great, I'm sittin' on a roof five floors up and this bastard is gonna push me off for screwin' his only daughter._

Magneto was silent for a moment, "I'm disappointed-" he began.

"I'm sorry," Remy said quickly interrupting, just as Magneto finished his sentence.

"-In Wanda."

Remy turned to stare at the man, "huh?"

"She told me everything of course...and I honestly thought she'd have the sense to _know_ better."

_That sure ain't a discussion I'd want to have with my Daddy if I were a girl,_ Remy thought in disgust. How much detail had Wanda gone into with Magneto? How much had she told him about? About the Laundry room? Remy felt strangely sick as he looked back to the woods.

"I'm...sorry," Remy responded, looking away sheepishly. It was all that he supposed he _could_ say in this situation. It wasn't going to ever be good enough, but at least it was something.

"I suppose I'm the one who should be sorry. It is _I_ who should have been working on her powers with her...not you. If I had been paying more attention perhaps she would not have turned to you for help with them in the first place, leading to all that went wrong last night."

In astonishment, Remy turned back to Magneto to question if he had just heard right. The man was looking at the view of the woodlands just as he had been. _Working with her on her powers? Is that what she told him?_

"I understand you have a...responsibility to the team," said Magneto, "but I assumed even you would know when to not push things. You are trying to run before you can _walk _and Rogue nearly paid for it last night_._ Wanda's powers are _not_ for experimentation...and you should have _not_ tried to help her work on them without supervision. Especially not indoors in an area that could be so immediately affected by her powers."

"I'm...sorry..." Remy said again, perplexed.

"I suppose this was your form of payback for how I handled the situation with Rogue," said Magneto with a frown. "Almost as if you believed that what goes around comes around."

"I..." Remy faltered.

"Except that in this case your foolishness cost extensive damage and nearly killed your team mate. The gymnasium project is nearly ruined. Not much can be salvaged, and if not for Rogue's unique gift, she would have been lost too."

Remy's heart sank. All the hard work he and the others had put into it and there was hardly any of it left. He'd been hardly able to look at the carnage of it as he'd passed by it to get to Rogue's room earlier. Hours and hours of sweat and frustration for nothing. For his own deceit and Wanda's jealousy to tear it down in seconds.

_Suppose that stuff doesn't matter much in comparison to how much Rogue's life is,_ he realised unhappily.

"I'm sorry," Remy said again, feeling very inarticulate right now. He wanted to tell his employer the truth...except the truth was probably going to gain him an even more severe punishment. Perhaps even exile.

"Your apology is useless to me," said Magneto.

"How can I redeem myself?" Remy plucked up the courage to ask. _Why do you even care? Why not just pack what little shit you have and _go, _get the fuck out of this place. Anythin' has to be better than this stress._

"You'll be expected to compensate that damage yourself," Magneto remarked coldly, "and you'll be doing most of the work yourself too. I don't see why the others should be made to rebuild what your own mistakes destroyed."

_Ain't like I wasn't doin' most of the work anyway,_ thought Remy unhappily, he rubbed his forehead as a headache began to thump right behind his eyes.

"In future, I'd prefer it if you'd leave Wanda alone," Magneto said, he stood up and floated away from the roof, "I see you were trying to help her, and in some way I am grateful...but only _I _can help her."

Remy stared up at the man curiously. If Magneto thought he could help his daughter, why _hadn't_ he up until now? Why did he now sound so sure of it? An odd pang of uneasiness gripped at his gut as he tried to process this comment.

As Magneto left, Remy contemplated. Whatever he had meant by the statement. It seemed almost ominous, and he knew the man well enough to pay attention when he said ominous things in such a way. His gut told him something was going to come of it.

_I really need to sleep, try to clear my head,_ he thought as he headed for the drainpipe he'd climbed up to get to the roof. As he climbed down, he saw Wolverine on his motorcycle riding off from the yard, and felt thankful at least for now he'd managed to avoid the guy. _Wonder if he spilled the beans about our deal to Rogue? _ Remy pondered unhappily.

When he got into the warehouse, the place was quiet. Lance and Piotr were outside working on the transit van (with the plans of working on Rogue's car later) and Pietro was apparently still in bed, Tabitha was not home as far as Remy could tell as her annoying pop music couldn't be heard from outside as it usually could be.

Remy was thankful for the lack of noise. Right now, he didn't need any additional aggravation to the headache that was building. He had almost gotten to his bedroom door when Wanda appeared almost as if out of nowhere.

He could see from her eyes she was sleepy, her pupils seemed incredibly dilated as if she were on something but what that might be, he wasn't sure. Her hair was wet from a shower, and she was clad in an oversized t-shirt and socks. Apparently this was one Sunday she wasn't going to bother getting dressed for. "Wanda..." he said quietly.

Wanda leaned against the wall, her sleepy eyes meeting with his. She seemed far too exhausted to be angry. She said nothing, but after a moment, she pushed herself away from the wall to head towards her bedroom, and she nodded in the direction to indicate he should follow.

Remy glanced around quickly to make sure her father weren't around and then followed reluctantly to Wanda's bedroom. Now wasn't the time to argue, not while Rogue was still incapacitated. As he stepped in, Wanda locked her door regardless of whether her father would have been able to get in or not. They stood, staring uneasily at each other for some moments, until Remy was the first to break the ice, unable to stand the tension any more.

"You covered for me."

"He'd have sent you away," Wanda responded, her voice strangely monotone as she sat upon the edge of her bed, she lay back a little, elbows propping her up. The fatigue was evident on her face.

"Are you...on something?"

"Meds," she responded, she parted her legs a little and beckoned for him to come to her.

He snorted, "that's what this is...you expect me to be thankful for not putting me in hot water with your dad."

She smirked, but it wasn't her usual crazed and knowing smirk, it was much more lazy, a drug-induced smirk. She was just barely there. He wondered how long it would possibly take her to just fall asleep if he stood and argued long enough.

"Nothin' has changed. Our deal still stands, friendship, then-" he began.

"No," she shook her head, "you see...you don't get to call the shots any more," she pushed herself up a little, "I found out you've been keeping secrets..."

"Oh really?" he asked, folding his arms and waiting expectantly.

"You've been working with Wolverine."

He kept his poker face, while internally trying to process exactly how she knew this.

"There's only one reason you'd have his number in your phone."

"What number?" he played stupid. _How could she know? I didn't even name that contact in my phone! When did she rifle through my contacts?! Is that why my phone keeps missing calls and contacts keep going missing?_

"Oh..." she reached forward for the belt to his jeans and began to unbuckle. "Well, you see, I took the number down and checked it with numbers in my father's phone, and well...it showed up as Wolverine. So you're hiding something. You really want my father knowing you're double-crossing him and working for the X-Men?" she pulled the belt free and tossed it to the floor.

Remy caught her wrists, he felt his stomach churn at the thought of this. "I'm not working with Wolverine." _Not any more,_ he thought.

"Then you have nothing to fear if I tell my father," she stood up slowly, slightly unsteady, and he had to catch her.

_She can't tell him, _Remy thought. _Rogue would find out, she'd never forgive me. _"That's blackmail," he hissed, not taking kindly to it.

"Call it what you like," she moved to the door lazily and reached for the handle.

"Can't we just...talk about this?" he asked, twisting her around and pinning her to the door, removing her hand from the handle.

"What's to talk about? You chose that little southern-trash whore over me, so-"

"I didn't choose anyone," Remy retorted, slightly insulted by the name calling directed at Rogue. "I never did _anything_ with Rogue."

"Bull."

"Your father asked me to spend time with her so I did. It was an order."

"I don't believe you," Wanda uttered.

Remy let go of her hand and gestured to the door handle, "ask him," he suggested. He knew she wasn't about to.

Her eyes raised to his.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that I've been faithful since the moment we started fucking," he looked her straight in the eye, "not with Rogue, not with any girl. I haven't kissed or even fucked anyone but you since we started."

Wanda snorted as if she didn't believe this. Strangely, it was the one thing he was being honest about. When he thought about it, this _was_ the longest relationship he'd ever technically been in, even if it _wasn't_ technically a _relationship._

"I swear."

Boldly, she reached to touch him, and her hand slid inside his jeans; he breathed deeply at the touch. It'd been far too long already and there wasn't enough fight in him emotionally _or _physically to abstain much longer.

_You promised you wouldn't let it go this far again, why are you letting her back in? You had a perfectly good plan all mapped out._

Wanda's lips found his and he kissed her back reluctantly, his hands finding her hips.

_But that was before she found out about my spending time with Rogue. Before she nearly killed Rogue with her powers. Long as she's happy, for now, she'll lay off. That's what she's getting at here. All I gotta do is take one for the team, and Rogue will be safe, Magneto won't find out about the _real_ cause of the accident, and I might still be able to talk Rogue into leaving here so she doesn't end up hurt again. _

His thoughts screamed that he was doing the wrong thing even as he turned her to the bed and pushed her down there gently. After a moment of kissing on the mattress, Wanda rolled him over, and pinned him down, biting his bottom lip in the process.

"No," he refused, "Not rough. Not today."

Her slightly doped expression was vague as she stared down at him, not quite understanding what had changed or why he was suddenly being so picky.

"I don't want it like that no more..." he wrestled her back over and held her arms down gently. "You want me to have sex, fine..." he gave in, "But...it's gonna be my way, not yours. You don't like it, then forget it."

She lay there looking up at him, perplexed by his demands.

_This is pretty all you can do to keep the situation under control. Make a bad situation into a tolerable one. It's what you've always done._

He could only hope Magneto had been serious when he'd said only he could help her. He just hoped that was going to be sooner rather than later.

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-Four**

* * *

**Aaaagh! He's done it again! I'm sure there'll be some general unhappiness amongst readers that Remy falls back into the trap yet again, but sacrifice is sacrifice after all, lol. **

**Thanks to everyone for their awesome reviews. I'm always excited to hear from people! You guys rock, seriously. :) 3**


	25. magneticattractionpart25

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Five**

* * *

As Remy lay next to Wanda's sleeping body on her bed, misery ate at every part of him. He hated that he'd fallen into the trap again, and he hated that regardless of _not_ wanting to have sex with the girl, he'd enjoyed it nonetheless.

_It's like a drug. Regardless if you don't wanna take it, you still get high anyway. Might not be a great high, but its a high all the same._

He thought of Rogue, who would be resting up in her room.

_God, she'd be so disgusted...even more so than before. It almost feels like...I'm letting her down...disappointing her. _

Wanda had fallen straight asleep after sex (and almost during). He wasn't sure if it'd been to the slow pace he'd maintained, or simply from whatever medications she'd taken but either way, it hadn't done much for his ego. For now, he was glad to be done with her at least. At least, for the moment he could breathe. Wanda would leave him alone for a little while now, and now that he'd had some gratification, he could think much clearer too.

_Headaches gone. Don't suppose that's a coincidence,_ he thought as he slowly got up from the bed, careful not to shake the mattress too much and wake Wanda. He glanced down at her; her nude body was stretched out, pale skin gleaming in the dim light from the lamp on her dresser. She was beautiful insanity upon faux fur blankets.

_Why couldn't this have been simple? Why couldn't you have just _had _feelings for this girl? It would have made things easy. Then there'd be no guilt..._

He sighed inwardly as he pulled on his underwear. _Instead you're gonna have to fake your way through this until she gets bored or cured of this stupid insanity of hers – which is very unlikely - or until Rogue at least gets the hell out of here and isn't in danger of getting hurt by her again._

Remy dressed, feeling sullen and used again, despite he'd been the one doing most of the work this time around. Trying to keep Wanda from taking over had not been easy, and had been more tiring than the act itself. She didn't like slow paced love making, nor did she like tenderness and she'd expressed this the whole drawn out time. And he'd _deliberately_ drawn it.

_Hopefully she hates it enough she just tells you to go fuck yourself and move on,_ Remy thought as he slipped out of the room quietly after checking no one could see. He went to his room, changed his clothes, combed his hair, retrieved his phone and wallet and left the warehouse.

Piotr and Lance were outside, now working on Rogue's car. The hood was open and Lance was leaning over, tinkering with the engine. Piotr was holding up the hood as apparently the rod to keep the thing up was missing.

"Hey," Piotr greeted, his smile warm and friendly. "You are going out?"

"Yeah," Remy picked the bike helmet up. "Need some cigarettes," he responded. _And a drink,_ he thought.

"How is Rogue?" asked Piotr, his face suddenly full of concern.

"She's...I don't know, actually," Remy drew his breath through his teeth.

"So what's happening with the mess?" Lance queried from beneath the hood of the car. "Magneto told us not to even _touch_ it...but it can't just _stay_ like that."

"I'll fix it," Remy said quietly, he stared down at the helmet, momentarily lost in thought.

"I will help you," Piotr offered.

Remy turned and looked at the large Russian, but he gave a sigh and shook his head softly, "no. My mess. I'll clean it."

"You cannot-" Piotr spoke up.

"No," Remy said again, this time more forcefully. "I've always been told to practice what you preach. I made Pietro and Lance fix their mess themselves. Now I should do the same. You shouldn't have to pay for what I caused."

Piotr let go of the hood to come over, nearly trapping Lance beneath it. Lance caught it just barely in time and yelled out in objection. "What did happen?"

"You saw it for yourself," Remy said quietly.

"I know what I saw, but I do not know what _happened," _Piotr said under his breath so Lance wouldn't hear from where he was. "If you need to talk-"

"Less you know, the better," Remy feigned a smile and smacked the larger boy playfully on the arm, "go on. Go back to what you were doing. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"Don't think there's much we can do here," Lance closed the hood, he rubbed the back of his neck, "there's too much needing done and it's gonna cost too much to fix."

"How much are we talking?" Remy asked, feeling quite sullen. _Rogue is pissed enough at me right now and it's probably gonna get worse if that car isn't working for tomorrow morning._

Lance chewed the inside of his cheek, "Well..."

"Out with it..."

"New engine, new tires, new clutch...there's far too much needing fixed. It won't be cheap...and it's not gonna be fixed any time soon."

"She needs that car for school," Remy leaned against the bike, still clutching his helmet. "Think you can give her yours for the time being?"

"That an order?" Lance frowned.

"It's a _favour_," Remy spoke. "Let her use your car for now."

"But-"

"She helped you pick your girlfriend's present, Lance. Least you can do is repay the favour," Remy pulled the helmet on and got onto the bike. "We'll figure out something about the car tomorrow," he stated. With that, left.

He rode the Harley into town; the rain stayed off long enough for him to get inside to the nearest bar. He rarely ever liked drinking, and didn't at all enjoy drinking alone, but tonight was the exception.

For a few hours, he sat and drowned his sorrows in tequilla shots with Budweiser to chase. The bar stank of strong spirits and cheap perfume. Most of the women who frequented were in their late thirties and early forties and the desperation smelled stronger than their perfume. It was a regular haunt for most of the local industry workers and most of them hadn't even bothered to go home and change out of their uniforms and boiler suits before settling at the bar for a drink.

Remy sipped from his bottle of beer, despair sinking in with each successive drink. He leaned forward onto the bar, and with his finger drew invisible patterns into the chipped and scratched wood.

A heavy footstep near his back made him straighten; he knew the sound before he'd even heard the voice.

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking in a bar?"

Remy turned to see Wolverine taking the empty bar stool next to him. He snorted and looked away again, frowning. "I'm old enough."

"If you say so."

"You followin' me?"

"I smelled your scent the minute I walked through the door," Wolverine uttered. "You smell like sex and cigarettes. _And shame_."

"Ain't got cigarettes," Remy uttered, he picked up a coaster from the bar and folded it absently. "Plenty of the other, though."

"Wanda's scent. Ain't it. Real fresh too."

Remy turned to look at the older man curiously, "you can really smell all that?"

"You'd be surprised," Wolverine ordered a beer from the almost-over-the-hill bartender.

With a grunt, Remy took his wallet out, counted out the money quickly and dropped it onto the bar without a word.

"What's this?"

"The deposit. I told you. I'm done. The deal is off," Remy took a drink from the bottle, head swimming with it.

"Does Rogue know you've been screwin' Magneto's daughter?" Wolverine took the money and pocketed it.

Grimacing, Remy finished the bottle, he ordered two shots, then responded, "what's it to you?"

"Plenty, if you've been letting her think you care about her."

"What makes you think I have?" Remy asked. "Accordin' to you I was the one who was fallin' for _her._"

Wolverine said nothing. He sipped his beer quietly.

"She knows, okay?" Remy slurred angrily. "I told her everythin'."

"About the deal?" Wolverine asked.

"No. Not that," the two tequila shots arrived, and Remy tossed them down his throat back to back.

Wolverine watched him, "You're really gunning to get truly hammered, ain't you?"

"What was your first clue?" Remy laughed bitterly.

"How you think Magneto is going to take it if you go home drunk?"

"I don't give a fuck right now," Remy sighed. "I just want to blank all this shit out for now. So do me a favour and fuck off," he got up from the stool, it'd been the first time he'd even tried to stand since he'd arrived. His bladder was like an over-inflated balloon and his legs felt like jello. He tumbled down to the floor clumsily, then gave a laugh, "my legs are drunk."

"Not just the legs," Wolverine reached down and pulled him up, "get it together, kid. You're wasted."

Remy smacked Wolverine's arm away, "don't. I can pick myself up..." he staggered.

"How you getting home?" Wolverine asked, he took a quick sip of his beer.

"Bike," Remy headed towards the mens bathrooms to relieve himself. The smell in there caught the back of his throat and almost caused him to throw up. He quickly drained his bladder as fast as he could and left without even bothering to wash his hands, feeling that they would probably be much dirtier after than before.

Wolverine was still sitting at the bar when he returned, Remy was about to hail for the bartender's attention but Wolverine got up, spun him towards the door and said, "you've had enough."

"What's it to you."

"Hey, this is _my_ bar, and you're not gonna cause a scene in here, muties get enough of a bad rap already," Wolverine uttered under his breath as he directed him towards the door and went outside with him.

Outside, the rain was pouring down heavily, pelting like bullets at them. The dark had come, although Remy had lost all concept of what time it could possibly be.

Remy broke away from Wolverine's grasping hand as the man tried to lead him away from the bar, "I didn't _ask_ for any of this you know!" he yelled, staggering from side to side, finding it hard to focus on the man.

Wolverine had no response.

"All I wanted was to have somewhere to just..._be_. I didn't want to be leader! I didn't want to be fucking with Magneto's daughter, I didn't want a relationship and I _didn't _want to fall for anyone!"

"Gambit," Wolverine said firmly.

"This is _killing_ me!" Remy swept his hand through his hair frustratedly. "I don't know what to do! I keep walking into one fucking trap after the other! I walked into leadership, I walked into bed with Wanda and I walked into falling for a girl who might be the only _best friend_ I've ever have! I didn't ask for any of it! I just walked without looking and now..." he looked around the street, "where?! Where do I fucking go?! Wanda has me over a barrel, Magneto has me at his beck and fucking call, and Rogue...she won't even fucking _talk_ to me. Can't even look at me!"

"You made a rod for your own back," Wolverine admitted.

Remy looked away unhappily, he could barely hold himself up so he decided to sit on the edge of the pavement, head in his hands. "I nearly got her killed...I had her blood on my hands, and I can still practically feel it. It's still under my fingernails...I can't make it go away...can't...make any of it go away..." he groaned miserably.

"I'm not gonna coddle you," Wolverine grunted, he sat beside him, not seeming to care about the wet ground or the pouring rain, "but...I am gonna give you advice...whether you _remember_ it tomorrow or doesn't matter. Maybe somewhere it'll get into that thick skull of yours."

In surprise, Remy turned to look at him.

"Life doesn't come with a set of instructions, kid. What you make of it is what you make of it, you write your own rules, you figure out your own guidelines. If you don't like the way your life is, then you change it. Write down some new rules and stick by them, stop just defaulting back to the old ones."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Remy asked.

"I don't care how it makes you feel," Wolverine spotted a cab coming down the street and hailed it. "All I care about is that you make sure Rogue doesn't end up on a slab," he muttered, he stood up and opened the door and gestured for Remy to get in. "Because so far, you're doing a lousy job..."

"My bike..." Remy glanced towards where he'd parked it.

"You'll get it tomorrow. You can't ride back in this condition. Go home, sober up, figure out what to do with the mess you've created and try to fix it. It ain't too late."

Remy climbed into the cab reluctantly, he sighed, "what do I do about Rogue."

"If you care _anythin' _for her. If you have fallen for her, then you'll get her the hell out of there. Magneto is bad news, and you know it."

"How the hell can I get her out?" Remy despaired.

"You got her to trust you once."

"I don' think that's gonna happen again," Remy leaned back against the seat and sighed. He watched Wolverine heading back towards the bar as he uttered the address of the warehouse.

* * *

Rogue sighed as she stood half naked in front of her mirror while she peeled carefully at the dressing that Magneto had applied that morning. The wound was ugly and red, and looked strangely misshapen. The stitches were still in tact, but would need removed soon enough.

_One more absorbing of Logan's powers and maybe Ah'll never see it again,_ she thought as she put the dressing back over it and reached for her pyjama top. Outside, she heard a clattering sound which made her jump.

Pulling her top on quickly, she rushed to her bedroom door, swung to her right and opened the door leading to the fire escape just in time to see Remy falling to the grated floor of the balcony, soaked to the bone, his new leather coat hanging awkwardly off one shoulder.

"Remy..." she gasped. She rushed over to him, not sure what exactly was wrong with him as it seemed he could barely stand. As mad as she was with him right now, and certainly as disgusted with him as she was, she couldn't leave him in this condition in the pouring rain. The smell of alcohol hit her the second she reached to help him up.

"Oh my god," she winced at the stench. It was ridiculously strong.

"Chere..." he said drunkenly, he glanced up at her with sad eyes, his expression almost pathetic. He leaned against the rail for a moment before trying to pull himself up.

"You've been drinkin'," she sighed.

"Just a lil'," he held his thumb and index finger about half an inch apart and gave a hollow laugh.

"You better get in before you catch pneumonia or something, you idiot," she pulled on him again and hauled his soaking wet arm around her shoulders, gasping at his weight.

"I don' wanna hurt you," he tried to move away, "the wounds..."

"The wounds are nearly healed, I can barely feel them any more," she pulled him towards the door, "come on."

"Don'...don't take me to...don't take me my room..." he pleaded with her. "Don' wan' to...go through it all again."

"All again?" she asked, blinking.

"With Wanda..." his eyes were heavy, his body seemed to grow heavier still. "I can't fuck again tonight, too tired."

She blinked, processing the information. "What the hell am Ah supposed to do with your drunken ass?!" she demanded impatiently in an annoyed whisper. "Magneto will kill you-"

His head slumped forward and his body fell limp, she fell to her knees with him in between the door and the catwalk.

"Terrific," she uttered. It took some effort to drag him to her bedroom, it was odd she thought how much heavier someone was when they were out cold. It seemed as if he weighed close to three hundred pounds. He lay dripping rainwater on her rug as she closed the door, and she stared down at him not sure what to really do with him.

_Maybe Ah should get Piotr. He'd know how to handle this, _she thought running her hand through her hair. The problem was she still didn't feel quite right about being around Piotr following the incident with her powers.

_Besides, it's past eleven, he's probably asleep...which is what _Ah _should be instead of dealing with this mess._

"Goddamn you, Remy LeBeau," she uttered as she kicked his thigh stubbornly, hoping he wouldn't bruise in the morning. She had a time of trying to pull the leather coat off of him, only to find that every stitch of clothing he had on was soaked through.

_He's soaking, and freezing,_ she realised, she gave him a hard shake after hanging the coat on the back of her door. "Remy, wake up. Come on..." she smacked his face a few times with her leather gloved hand but he didn't wake much more than his eyes fluttering open for barely a second. He gave something of an incoherent mumble before passing back out. She pried his eyes open but even this did little to disturb him.

There was no question about it that she would have to get the wet clothes off of him herself. The thought of having to undress him left her feeling squeamish and disturbed almost as much as the thought of what he'd apparently been doing with Wanda.

_Dirty bastard,_ she thought, she smacked his face again. "Remy, wake up, I need to get these clothes off of you."

Trying to get him up into a sitting position was more of a task than she'd thought it would be. With great difficulty, she somehow managed alone to peel the wet t-shirt from him. Her eyes didn't miss the myriad of bruises from the obstacle course. She spotted on his neck the signs of what looked to be a hickey.

_Wanda definitely likes to leave her mark,_ she thought feeling somewhat miserable as she laid him down as gently as she could. His body still had the faintest trace of his tan from the summer, the hint of tan lines from t-shirts and tank tops too. Tentatively she brushed her gloved fingers across a large bruise on his chest.

_This must have hurt,_ she thought. _He never even gave any indication he was ever in any pain. He's so good at hiding things...even when he's hurt_ing.

For one moment, she considered taking her glove off, and touching him, interested to know him once again, to see his memories, his thoughts, his feelings. Maybe it'd help to understand _why _he'd done these stupid things as of late. Why he was so angry, why he was messing around with Wanda...why he'd done it _again _despite claiming he had no interest in doing so any more.

Her stomach churned and her moral compass told her _no._ _How could Ah even think that?_ She wondered. _It ain't right to mess with him when he isn't even conscious. _She moved to untie and remove his boots, her eyes still on his face the entire time. He looked almost peaceful. He'd been missing so much sleep as of late, she couldn't blame him for passing out so easily.

With his boots off, she pulled him up awkwardly and fought for several minutes to move him onto the bed. His legs hung off, his jeans truly soaked through right to the thighs.

"What'd you do, LeBeau? Wade in a puddle?" she asked with a sigh as she unsurely reached to unbuckle his belt, her fingers shaking. She pulled her hands away and gave a strange, nervous laugh, her eyes averting.

_Ah can't do this...what if...he isn't wearin' any underwear? What am Ah supposed to do then?_

What would happen if he was left in freezing cold soaking wet jeans? Would he catch a cold? Get ill? She wasn't sure if those were just myths. She'd spent plenty of time in wet clothes herself, especially on the obstacle course, and she'd never gotten ill yet.

_Never slept in the wet clothes though,_ she reminded herself. _Fuck it, you know what Rogue, you're an adult, stop being such a little girl. If he isn't wearing boxers, then you can still throw a blanket over it. He's been naked in front of probably hundreds of girls, he's probably used to it by now anyway, he won't _care_ when he gets up._

Unbuckling Remy's belt gave her a gnawing naughty feeling, and as she unbuttoned the fly of his jeans she was thankful to see that he _was_ wearing a pair of boxers beneath. As she sat there on her knees, and began to tug on his jeans, she thought of the thousands of other girls her age tonight who might be doing the very same thing with young men.

_But they're probably _not_ just undressing a drunk,_ she reminded herself as with a hard tug, the jeans finally came free and slid down his legs with ease. She hung those and his t-shirt onto the hooks behind her door so they'd dry somewhat and she moved back to look at him, laying there half across her bed.

_What would Wanda do to him?_ Rogue wondered. _If she found him in this condition, would she...do things? _Awkwardly, she raised his legs and moved them to get them onto her bed. He grunted in his sleep, but didn't wake. _That's why he doesn't want to go to his room...in case she _does _find him like this...and starts...doin' things. The way he explained it this morning was like...she didn't care whether he wanted to __or not...she'd just...do it. _

_ How could she just...do that? How could she not care? Just...use someone? Just have sex regardless?_

Rogue stared down at him, biting her lip a little. That kind of situation was something she'd _never _have to concern her about any time in the near future. If Magneto's machine couldn't do what he'd promised, perhaps she never _would. _She'd never be in that position, never know how it felt to be that close, that intimate.

"Remy?" Rogue asked, her voice softer than she'd spoken to him before. She moved his hair from his forehead with a sigh. "Remy, you awake?"

Nothing. A soft breath escaped but he did not awaken.

Curiously, just to see, she brushed the backs of her gloved fingers against his face, she heard the sound of his growth scrape the leather. _God, Ah'm so mad at him, _she thought unhappily. Her fingers trailed down his throat to his chest, she stopped herself.

_What the hell are you doing? Taking advantage while he's out cold? _

She winced at the thought. _It's not like anything is going to happen...it's not like Ah'll hurt him...Ah won't go too far, Ah just...know it might be the only time. _

Checking once again that he _was_ truly asleep, she carefully climbed over him to straddle him, to look down upon him in the same way Wanda might have. She put her hands gently against his chest, exploring the firm muscle, letting her fingers trail down to his ribs, and the bumps of his washboard abs.

There was nothing truly intimate about what she was doing to him, and she felt no better for it. Her eyes watched her fingers as she brought them down to the waistband of his navy boxers and pushed them down just a little so she could follow the fine trail of hair leading from his naval.

She moved her glance to check he was still sleeping and found he was looking straight at her, his eyes sleepy, his mouth hanging open a little. She gave a little gasp and took her hands away from him.

"Remy..." she breathed, "Ah was just-"

He gave the oddest, weakest smile and brought his hand up to brush her hair from her shoulder, his eyes fluttering closed and opened, he was having a hard time remaining awake. "This one's different," he slurred.

"Huh?"

She felt his hands slide along her thighs first, then her hips and he flipped her with more ease than she'd have given him credit for considering his ridiculously drunken state.

"Remy..." she gasped as he rolled his hips against hers, his still soaking hair brushed against her forehead and she realised the proximity wasn't going to lead to anything positive. He dipped down and his lips came close to hers. Quickly she put both hands against his face and shook her head.

_Did that just happen, did he just try to—did he try to...kiss me?_

Hardly fazed by this, he rolled his hips again and she felt the hardness growing between them, her breath caught in her throat.

_Is that...what Ah think it is?_

"Oh my god..." she whispered, "Remy...stop, you need to stop..."

"Don' you want me?" he asked drunkenly, his eyes barely able to focus on hers. "Don' you want me in you?" he ground himself against her, and something occurred that she _hadn't _expected. She moaned as it brushed her just right and he gave a soft moan too.

Breath caught in her throat, she squeaked, "it's...not up for debate."

"Never stopped us before..."

_What the fuck is that meant to mean? Does he think I'm Wanda?_ She wondered, she kept her gloved hands upon his face and tried to get him to look straight into her eyes, "Remy...wake up..."

"I don' wan' wake, this where I wan' be," he shifted, seeming to know _exactly_ what he was doing and it made her moan again. His head slumped again in her hands and he nearly dropped as he passed out. Quickly she pulled herself out from under him while trying to prevent his face from brushing hers and as she climbed out from under him, he flopped down into the bedspread, face first.

She couldn't catch her breath.

_What the hell just happened?!_ She asked, grasping handfuls of her hair, staring at the now passed-out-once-again Remy LeBeau in complete disbelief. _He would have...he would have tried to go further...why? What was he thinking? _Was _he thinking? _

She leaned back against the dresser, realising that now, there was absolutely _no_ way she could sleep here tonight.

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-Five**

* * *

**Oooh, they were so close, weren't they!**

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews, I'm glad people are liking the story and enjoying the frequent updates. I can't wait to post more (should be soon). 3 you all.**


	26. magneticattractionpart26

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Six**

* * *

Remy awoke at 11am that next morning with the hangover from hell. Body trembling, he _barely_ managed to make it to the bathrooms in time to vomit. Luckily, no one had caught him racing from Rogue's room wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. He couldn't even recall how he'd gotten there at all, and could only _vaguely_ remember tequila and beer in the bar on Oak street.

_How'd I get home? How'd I even end up in Rogue's bed? And why am I naked? _He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, leaning onto the toilet to support his shuddering body. This reminded him exactly why he rarely ever drank, it rarely ever solved anything in his experience and only tended to make him violently ill the next day. If willpower alone wasn't enough to keep him away from the idea of drink and drugs, the hangovers and come downs certainly _were._

"Jesus, what the fuck is that smell?" came a groan at the door. "Someone puked?"

Remy glanced over his shoulder to see Pietro standing in his pyjamas, an expression of disgust on his face.

"Ew, I can smell the booze from here..."

"Now you know how I felt few weeks ago when you stank of the stuff _and _puke..." Remy groaned as he wiped his sweating brow. "You gonna run and tell daddy now?"

"He's not home," Pietro responded. "But if he was..."

Remy couldn't decide if that was lucky or not. Right now he felt so utterly miserable that he'd have welcomed an argument with Magneto, a reprimand and eventual kicking off the team and out of the warehouse. It'd at least solve a few problems either way.

"Are you jus' gonna stand there and watch me throw up?" Remy grunted, still clutching the toilet.

"Got a question."

"Yes."

"When were you gonna come clean that you're fucking my sister?"

Remy spun around fully, trying to ignore the sickness threatening to erupt, "excuse me?"

"You haven't been in your room all night. I know that because I went looking for you this morning to see if we had training and your bed is still made. I went to check on Wanda afterwards and she was sprawled out on her bed completely naked - which might be the most _fucked _up thing I've had to see in my life - and there's a used condom hanging from her trash."

"Weren't me," Remy swallowed the sickness back. He wasn't in the mood for this, his head was pounding.

"You think I'm stupid?"

"Pretty much."

Faster than lightning, Pietro was on him, and had him pinned up to the wall.

"Listen here, LeBeau. You so much as lay a finger on my sister again-"

Remy gave a vague laugh, "what you gonna do?" he dared.

And then Pietro punched him. It wasn't the kind of punch that was held back either. It was a vicious, full force, square punch directly to the gut. It was harder than Remy had expected and definitely far more brutal than he'd have given the younger boy credit for. Unfortunately for both Remy _and _Pietro, the punch hit Remy so hard that it both winded him _and_ caused him to throw up in response; the vomit exploded from his mouth and onto Pietro's bare feet. "

_I'll let him away with that punch. It's only fittin'. I fucked his sister after all. I'd have done the same thing. Besides, puking up on his feet is more than payback enough._

"Oh...my...fucking..._god,_" Pietro gaped, looking quite queasy himself, "you did not just throw up on me..."

Remy groaned as he turned back to the toilet to bring up the next wave. After somehow managing to get his breath back, he groaned, "shouldn't..." he heaved, "have punched me when I was gon' be sick."

"You ever-"

"Look, whatever I do..." another heave and held it back, "with your sister ain't your fucking business..." Remy tried to swallow whatever was struggling to come up. "You want to go off on anyone, you go talk to her..." Remy heaved again, "now fuck off and let me puke in peace."

Pietro left to go shower off the vomit from his feet, and Remy lay on the tiled floor in the bathroom for a while, trying to gather the strength and the will to part with the porcelain throne. By the time he'd finally stopped vomiting, it was almost past twelve.

Showering left him feeling slightly better, although not by a whole lot. Even as he dressed, his head was still pounding and he was still sweating profusely. Despite this, he forced himself to go to the wreckage of the gymnasium project and he began to miserably pick up the pieces and clear up what he could.

He'd been at it almost two hours when Piotr came through the door, Lance in tow. They both looked at Remy, exchanged expressions, then approached.

"You do not look well, my friend."

Remy decided to be honest, he picked up a piece of broken clapboard and tossed it into the box of trash. "Hangover."

"I see," said Piotr. "You should lie down."

"I don't got time to lie down, I have this to fix," Remy gestured to the mess.

"I told you I would help-" Piotr tried.

"No. My responsibility. Magneto said so," Remy explained quietly. "Where you guys been."

"Getting some of the parts for Rogue's car. You owe us three hundred and eighty," Lance said, he stood casually with his hands in his pockets.

"Fine...I'll get you it in a little bit," Remy promised. He thought to where his wallet was and realised it was _probably_ in Rogue's room, in the pocket of his pants...wherever he'd thrown those. "Is it enough to get the car running?"

"It's enough to get it running decently enough to get her to school and back but it's gonna need _a lot_ more maintenance," Lance explained, "And...I want money for working on it."

"Yeah, you'll get it," Remy said irritably. "I don't have my wallet on me at this moment in time..."

"So...I was asked to tell you that you're invited to Kitty's surprise party," Lance stated, "she doesn't know anything about it."

"That's usually what a surprise is," Remy dusted his hands off, "probably not a good idea I go," he thought. _Rogue is probably gonna be there, and she's probably pissed as hell at me._

_ "_How'd you figure?" Lance asked, "we're all invited. It's supposed to be some kind of _gesture_ of good will or somethin', the way Summers made it sound when he called this morning."

"Gesture of good will?" Remy raised an eyebrow.

"You know, that we're not enemies any more and blah blah blah," Lance said. "Besides, you're pretty cosy with Rogue, wouldn't she want you there?"

Remy suddenly remembered that _Lance _had been responsible for causing the argument between himself and Wanda. At least partly. "Piotr, can I have a moment with Lance?" he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Of course," said the large Russian, "would you like coffee?"

"I'd _love_ coffee," Remy responded.

Piotr left the two, and Lance stared across blankly at Remy.

"What is it?" asked the younger boy, he flicked his dark hair out of his eyes.

"You...spreadin' rumours, about what you _think_ you saw..."

"What are you goin' on about?" Lance shrugged.

"You told Wanda that me and Rogue were seeing each other!" Remy kept his voice low.

"No I didn't," Lance made a face, "she asked where you'd been. I said you'd been at the horror convention with Rogue."

"And that she was wearing my coat?"

"Was that _meant_ to be a secret?" Lance shrugged again, "'cause I don't see why that would be an issue. What's it matter?"

"What matters," came the voice of Pietro as he approached from the area of his bedroom, "is that he's been seeing _Wanda_. In fact, I just _spoke_ to her and she says it's been pretty much going on for a month now..."

Remy winced.

"You...and...Wanda?" Lance gave a strange laugh, "oh man."

"He's also been seeing Rogue," Pietro added casually.

"I'm not seeing Rogue, for gods sake," Remy made a face, "she's my friend, and my team member, I'm not-"

"What would you call it? You spend more time with Rogue than you do with Wanda."

Lance made a face, "man...you...really dug yourself your own grave, didn't you?"

"Thanks for that observation," Remy uttered, he went to pick up more of the wreckage.

"Wanda is pretty much determined whatever you guys do together isn't going to be stopping. If that's the case, then you better cut it out with Rogue," Pietro warned.

"Cut _what_ out with Rogue?" Remy shrugged innocently, "what have I ever done with Rogue that even _suggests_ I'm into her?"

"You took her on a date, you redneck hillbilly motherfucker."

"Motherfucker?" Remy smirked, "no. Can't say I ever _did fuck your mother. _Your sister on the other hand..."

"You-" Pietro rushed to punch him once again.

"Whoah whoah whoah!" Lance got in the middle and pushed his hand against Pietro's chest. "Remember what he did last time!"

"I'm not scared of him now. He can't scare me. See, my dad _doesn't_ know about this...but I'm sure he'd like to. And the next time this hick decides to start his crap with us, all it's gonna take is one word to good old dad and-"

"And what? He's gonna kill me?" Remy dared.

"I'll kill you if you ever-"

"Pietro, leave him alone!" came Wanda's yell from above in the living room area, her expression dark as she held onto the rail. Remy glanced up at her, wondering how much she'd actually heard. Had she been there all this time?

"Defending him now, are we?"

"He's the leader and you'll treat him as such."

"He has you completely fooled, doesn't he?" Pietro demanded, "you think he actually _cares_ about you? All he cares about is _himself_. And apparently Rogue."

Wanda looked down towards Remy, her eyes squinting.

"Wasn't Rogue I was with yesterday, was it?" Remy pointed out to her. "Was you I was with."

"Threaten him again..." Wanda warned, "and see what happens to you."

Remy looked away from Wanda. This felt horrible, this was _public._ Not only was she fighting his battles for him, which was humiliating enough, but now they had somehow just unintentionally made this relationship a public thing and eventually Magneto _was_ going to find out about it. And much worse, it would be even _harder_ to escape once that happened.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck. Why couldn't I just have kept it in my fucking pants? And for that matter, _he rubbed his head trying to remember clearly, _where are my pants anyway?_

* * *

Rogue sighed as she climbed into the drivers seat of Lance Alvers' Jeep. Her heart sank as she thought of how horrible a day it had been. She hadn't managed to get most of her studying done, and she hadn't been able to catch up fast enough in class meaning that she was behind on almost everything already. The Professors had shown no mercy today either.

As she checked her phone, she found two missed calls from Kurt Wagner, and a text message inviting her to a surprise party at the mansion for Kitty's birthday. She supposed she was going to have to go. She didn't really feel like seeing _any_ of her friends from the X-Men right now, but she supposed she would need to sacrifice.

She had slept poorly on the couch in the living area. She'd been too afraid to sleep on her own bed with Remy lying there. His attempt of initiating some kind of sexual act with her had left her reeling. She wasn't sure how to feel about it.

She sighed as she leaned back in the seat, closing her stinging eyes. She'd never felt so aroused. It'd been a first for her. Nothing had ever left her feeling quite like that before. Even just thinking back to it left her uncomfortably aching.

_This is hell,_ she thought. It had never truly occurred to her that she might possibly _want_ Remy LeBeau until Saturday night when he'd bought her the necklace, and it had never even crossed her mind that they could possibly have anything remotely _sexual_ until he'd pushed himself up against her and she'd felt him.

Suddenly she understood _exactly_ why Remy let his _member_ do a lot of the decision making for him. It seemed to her these mistakes were a lot more easily made than she might have realised before.

As she drove back to the warehouse, her mind raced with thoughts of his nude body, of how hard his muscle had been, and how strangely excited she'd felt even as reluctant as she'd been, when he'd ground himself up against her and told her he wanted to be in her.

The saddest part, she realised, was that for one brief moment, she'd _wanted_ it too. If things had been different, she might have given in, just to know, just to feel it. Just to know why Remy LeBeau had such a reputation.

_How far would it have gone if he hadn't passed out again?_ Rogue asked herself as she parked the car in the yard in the spot Lance _always_ parked it. She was surprised to see Lance working on her car, apparently installing a different engine. She approached, clutching her college books to her chest.

"Hey," she said.

Lance glanced up, "You hear about Kitty's party?"

"Yeah," Rogue responded. "What's all this..." she nodded at the various parts laid out on a dust sheet on the ground.

"Gambit paid for some of the parts you need to fix the car. I can get it running. It won't be _one hundred percent_ reliable, but it should get you from point a to b, and in the meantime I'll keep working on it and see if I can sort out the more permanent issues."

Rogue felt her stomach churn at the thought of Remy buying the parts for her car. Why would he do that? Did he feel guilty about something? Was he trying to apologise for last night?

"You might want to steer clear of Remy for a bit," Lance warned, he wiped his greasy hands off on a rag he'd tucked into his jeans pocket.

"Huh?" Rogue asked, she'd been about to head inside.

"Him and Wanda pretty much made it public that they're going out. And she's got this whole jealous streak going on. So...just giving you a heads up."

"Oh."

"He's made it clear there's nothing between you guys, that there could never absolutely _never_ be," Lance shrugged, "But Wanda is...you know..batshit crazy sometimes."

Rogue stared at Lance, she couldn't explain why she felt quite hurt by the fact that Remy had actually been _discussing _the situation with Lance at all. What hurt even more was that he'd made it clear there could _never_ be anything between them. After knowing he was sleeping with Wanda again, she'd never _really_ expected there to be, but to hear that he'd said these words out loud made it seem even more...definite.

Breaking out of her dismal thoughts, she responded to Lance, "Don't worry, Ah'll have no problems keepin' my distance from either of them."

"Anyway, you can catch a ride with me to the mansion if you want, I think Tabitha and Piotr are coming too. The others don't want anything to do with it."

"Thanks," Rogue realised she still had the keys to his jeep and she tossed them to him, "thanks for the lend of the car, also."

"Any time, long as you fill it up and don't wreck it," Lance shrugged.

_Jesus, I never figured him to be so...nice. Is he softening up?_ Rogue thought. _Ah guess Kitty has more influence over him than Ah thought._

Rogue went inside, seeing that some of the wreckage from Saturday night's chaos was in the midst of being cleaned out. Remy was the only one doing so it seemed, his hair soaked with sweat, his t-shirt collar circled with it, his face slightly red, his breath heavy.

"Hey..." she said uneasily as she closed the door. She felt it would be easier to act naturally than ignore him altogether. She could still be angry with him and be his team mate. Judging by the fact he'd decided to be with Wanda after all, it was definitely all he ever _could_ be now.

_Not that it was ever gonna go anywhere. He's made that quite clear already, by the sounds of it,_ Rogue thought unhappily.

"How was school?" Remy asked casually, his voice was slightly hoarse.

"It was...hell. Ah didn't get any homework done over the weekend because Ah was hurt."

"I'm sorry," Remy responded, his expression clouded with guilt as he tore his eyes from her and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"You...goin' to the party?"

"Your friend Kitty's party?"

"Yeah...that party," Rogue responded, glancing to the floor uneasily.

"I...I don't think so," Remy bent down to pick up a piece of broken wood. "I got too much to do here."

"You have to do this on your own?" Rogue glanced around.

"My mess, I'll clean it," he answered simply. "Rogue..." he turned to her, he lowered his voice in case anyone was in the vicinity and would hear, "what happened last night?"

"Huh?" she asked, moving closer to whisper with him.

"I woke up near naked in your bed..." he explained, "I don't know how I got home...or...naked...or in your room."

"You were drunk, that's all," Rogue shrugged, she began to head towards the stairs towards her room.

"That's all that happened?" he raised an eyebrow, his expression curious and worried.

_He doesn't even remember about the bed...about us...about him doin' what he did,_ Rogue realised, feeling incredibly disappointed. Although she'd _hoped_ he would have forgotten, part of her had wanted him to remember, to bring it up, to ask if it might be possible there was something between them worth exploring.

_That's not gonna happen now that he's with Wanda and everyone knows about it too. And certainly not now that he's told everyone that there's nothin' between me and him._

"Ah found you in my room," Rogue said quietly, she held onto the rail. "Ah guess you were so drunk you forgot we'd switched rooms and just went there thinkin' it was still yours. You just undressed and passed out. That's how Ah found you."

"Oh," Remy said. "Where'd you sleep?"

"Couch. It wasn't the most...comfortable...of sleeps."

"I'm sorry...I didn't think I was gonna get that hammered."

Rogue ignored this, although part of her wanted to query _why_ he'd felt it so necessary to let himself get in that condition in the first place, she thought it unwise to ask, and so she tried to change the subject. "Ah...Ah heard about you and Wanda."

He was still, his expression dark, and almost hurt. "What'd you hear?"

"That you're..." she trailed off, trying to find a way to put it so she didn't have to admit that they were now boyfriend and girlfriend. "...an item...officially Ah guess."

Remy gave a deep sigh, his eyes averted from her.

"Maybe...it's a good thing?" she asked carefully, she exhaled slowly hating that she'd said it. Of course it wasn't a good thing. It was a _terrible_ thing. He wasn't happy, clearly, she could see it in his face.

"Is...that what you think?" Remy asked, looking almost hurt by the suggestion of this.

"She...obviously loves you," Rogue shrugged, "why else go to extremes of nearly killing me..." she feigned a laugh, as uncomfortable as it made her.

"It's...it's the right thing to do...to give this a chance," Remy said, the words sounding horribly forced and untrue. "It could work out."

"Ah see."

"Are you still mad at me?" Remy asked, he moved closer.

"No," Rogue said, "but Ah'll never trust you again, either. You went on about friendship and telling each other stuff...and you withheld. And it nearly got me killed..."

_Not to mention you led me on then Ah had to hear you don't even _like _me that way from someone else._

"You don't know how sorry I am-"

"Remy!"

They both looked to the area of Wanda's room, where Wanda was standing looking slightly aggravated they were talking to each other. Remy looked down to the floor, his face red with anger and humiliation.

"Ah need to go, Ah've got studyin' to do and a party to get ready for."

"I'll...see you later...maybe," Remy uttered, then headed off in the direction of Wanda's room. Rogue watched them go into the room together, and the door closing behind them both. She felt that horrible sensation that behind that closed door, they would be intimate. Right now, Wanda may be kissing him...doing things to him...

And Rogue would never know what that would feel like with Remy LeBeau.

* * *

Remy stared at Wanda as the bedroom door was shut behind him, and Wanda slid the latch shut so that it locked.

"I don't want you being friends with her."

Remy raised an eyebrow but had no response to the black-haired beauty before him. He simply listened.

"You spend too much time with her...I don't like it."

"We're just friends. I've told you."

"I don't _care._ I see the way she looks at you."

Remy wasn't sure Wanda understood what she was seeing any more than she could tell genuine feelings from going through the motions.

"She wants you...she wants to fuck you..." Wanda remarked crudely.

Remy sighed as he moved to the dresser to flick through a magazine Wanda had left there, pretending to be quite bored with the conversation, "everyone wants to fuck me."

"I know I do," she moved up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, even her _hugs _were rough.

"Gentle," he took her arms and released them from him, "I'm sick of bein' hurt. I'm covered in bruises, a lot of which you gave me on Saturday, and I'm sick of them bein' pushed and prodded upon."

"A little pain can be pleasurable," Wanda turned him towards her.

"No, I don't _like_ pain. Not in the way you do. You like pain, fine, that's your business. But I'm not into it."

"You've always liked it rough."

"I told you, I'm sick of rough. Maybe I just want...a little tenderness..." he inwardly sighed as he slipped his arms around her waist and tried to make the best of it for the sake of keeping things calm.

Wanda was very dissatisfied with this. Her eyes spoke her frustration, "but it takes...ages to get off that way..." she slipped her hands up the back of his t-shirt, her nails digging in a little.

"That's why it's the best way...'cause the build up makes it more intense."

Wanda moved away from him, folding her arms, "intense? Are you kidding? Yesterday was the _lousiest_ sex I've ever had...I didn't even get off."

Although he deliberately _hadn't_ wanted her to have the best time possible, hearing that he'd been lousy still was a kick to his ego. If there was one thing he was _definitely_ good at, it had always been sex, and it had been always being able to satisfy. Knowing he hadn't suddenly made him feel strangely inadequate. He tried to push it to the back of his mind, and spoke up, "So sex _is_ all this thing is to you. That's all _I _am to you."

"No...of course not..." Wanda responded.

"Sure seems like it is. Seems to be all you want."

"It isn't all I want...but...there's things I do need...so...can't we compromise?"

"Not right now, no. And we shouldn't be at it too often either, or we'll just...burn out."

Her expression was full of disappointment. "How...often?"

"I don't know...couple times a week at most maybe."

"That's bullshit! We used to do it two or three times a day."

"Don't you want it to be anythin' other than sex?" he asked seriously. It seemed to him most girls wanted something more. It seemed that Wanda only wanted the sex...and to own him.

"Right now, I _need_ it to be sex," she chewed her lip.

"Well, right now, I need to get to work out there, because you destroyed everythin' it took weeks to work for."

"But-"

"Wanda...I ain't got time. So if you want to explain to your dad why I don't have time to do what he told me to do..." Remy gestured to the door, "by all means..."

"No...not yet. He's not ready to know."

"Then I need to go..." he paused and looked at her, he supposed he should kiss her, and keep up the act, keep her _happy_. At least until he could come up with a plan to get Rogue out of the place so she wouldn't be in danger any more. Hating himself, he moved to kiss her tenderly on the lips, and brush the backs of his fingers against her cheek, wishing it'd been Rogue instead.

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-Six**

* * *

**Thanks to everyone for their reviews and making this story their favourites. Makes my day to know people are enjoying this. I'm glad so many of you are enjoying the frequent updates (I'm definitely enjoying writing this one). I can't wait to get more parts of the story up (especially since the story is getting a lot more juicier as it gets on ;) ). 3 you all 3**


	27. magneticattractionpart27

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Seven**

* * *

Rogue sighed as she sat watching Kitty Pryde opening her presents, the girl seemingly completely oblivious to problems.

There was a strange envy in Rogue that Kitty Pryde didn't have nearly as many problems as she herself had. Kitty only had to worry about what to wear on a date, whether it was time to go _all the way_ with Lance Alvers, or how to ace the next big test at school.

_She doesn't have to worry about never being normal enough to have a family, or a relationship. She doesn't have to worry about being stuck in the same situation of always fallin' for the guys who she can't ever have!_

Perhaps her resentment that Kitty seemed to have things so easy right now was why Rogue found it so difficult to spend time with the girl, not that they had ever been best friends before. She'd given her the gift she'd chosen her (a pair of cubic zirconia earrings) and said happy birthday, it had been the only effort she'd made at the party to really interact...not that Kitty was finding much time to spend with any one person with all the people at the party.

_Perhaps Ah should make more effort,_ Rogue wondered, watching as Kitty laughed at something Piotr Rasputin was trying to say. Rogue got the distinct impression from the blank stare before Kitty laughed that it had been lost in translation. She noted the vague look of irritation in Lance's expression that Kitty seemed to be enjoying the larger boy's company while he was standing on the sidelines practically invisible.

_Ah know that feelin' so well,_ thought 's heart sank as she looked across the room at Scott Summers who in a deep discussion with Jean about something. Even at _parties_ they barely seemed to leave each other's sides. As she gazed at Scott, she felt that dull ache of longing. She'd just barely gotten over him, but it still hurt somehow to know she'd never know for herself what it was like to be with him.

_Now Ah have to face the same with Remy LeBeau. Why do Ah always have to fall for guys who want to be with other girls?_

"You all right?"

Rogue turned to look at Kurt, he took a seat beside her on the stairs in the foyer, where the party was being held, and he was wearing a ridiculous party hat that was bright pink with silver glitter stripes and tassels.

"Ah'm fine."

"You look...sad."

"Do Ah?" She asked, she feigned confusion and straightened up a little, "Maybe it's just that Ah'm tired. Ah didn't sleep well last night."

"Why has it taken so long for you to come visit?" Kurt asked, looking almost hurt.

"So much stuff to do, Ah guess. Finding time is an issue, you know?"

"But you found time to go to the horror movie convention with Gambit..." Kurt spoke up, his expression still hurt, even more so now.

Rogue felt her cheeks grow hot a little. She supposed Kitty had gossiped about her going with Remy LeBeau. "Well...Ah'm...here now."

Kurt sighed, "I didn't think you'd ever even _come_ back. Like you wanted to forget all about us."

"No..." she shook her head, "of course Ah don't want to forget..."

"Then why leave...and stay away? You don't even _call _us...not even to say hello...not even to say how you are, or ask how _we_ are."

"It's just the way things have to be...Ah can't explain it any better," Rogue tried.

"But-" Kurt tried desperately.

"Look, this is also _why_ Ah didn't wanna come here so soon...it's hard to have to listen to these questions over and over and then have to repeat myself again," Rogue said frustratedly. "Ah've given as much reason as Ah can right now..."

"I'm sorry..." Kurt seemed genuinely upset.

Rogue realised she _should_ have just left the conversation there, but now that she'd been picked at for what felt like too many times now, she couldn't leave it alone. "You know...Tabitha doesn't get asked these questions," she pointed out, "No one here is askin' her why she hasn't come back to the institute...why can't everyone just leave me alone too?"

"If that's...what you want..." Kurt got up slowly, looking quite dejected.

Rogue stopped him, "No wait... Ah'm sorry, Ah didn't mean it like that."

Kurt shook his head, "you wanted to be alone, so I'm leaving."

"Kurt, come _on, _you know Ah didn't mean it like that," she tried, but he didn't respond. She felt guilt gnaw at her as Kurt left her sitting there on the stairs on her own, he disappeared amongst the many other guests, some mutant, some not. _Great goin',_ she thought bitterly at herself in disgust.

"What was that about?"

Rogue heard Logan's heavy footsteps as he was coming down the stairs long before she even heard his voice. She sighed, "Ah hurt his feelin's, Ah guess."

"He misses you, you know," Logan stopped at the bottom and stared down at her. "You're the closest thing he has to his real family here."

She stared down at the floor miserably, "Ah know."

"You should start coming clean with people about why you left."

"Why should Ah?" she demanded impatiently.

"So that they can at least see it from _your_ point of view. Maybe if they knew at least they would understand..."

"They'll never understand."

"You shouldn't underestimate them, kid. They're your _friends,_ they'd get it."

"Look...even if they did, they'd still try to talk me out of it...like you did."

"So you're never going to tell them?"

"Ah'll tell them when it's _worked_."

"Fair enough," he folded his arms, seeming to disbelieve this somehow. Whether it was that she would tell them or whether it was that he believed the evolution procedure would work, Rogue was unsure. She didn't push the subject, she was eager that it be changed already. "But I heard what he said you know, and he's right. You're alienating yourself."

"Ah'm not _alienatin'_ myself," she said quickly, although after she'd said it she had to wonder if this was exactly what she'd done. She wondered partly if she'd been doing it since the moment she joined the X-Men, and now joining the Acolytes had probably only made it much easier.

"Can we talk about something else?" she asked hopefully, not wanting to really think about these things right at the moment with so many other things already on her mind.

"If that's what you want," Logan offered, "how about this? I saw lover boy last night, you know."

"Huh?" Rogue raised her eyes to her former mentor. _Who's lover boy? What is he talkin' about?_

"Gambit, at the bar down town."

"Oh..." she chewed the inside of her cheek.

"He was getting completely wasted. I put him in a cab and sent him home. Whether he got there or not..." Logan shrugged.

"He did...he got home. He's hungover, far as Ah can tell." _Why did he just call him lover boy? Does he know somethin'?_ Rogue wondered, wondering if Jean had perhaps caught something in her head and perhaps had told Logan. Or perhaps the Professor? She'd always been told she was hard to read, but she was starting to wonder...

"I don't doubt he's hungover. He was wasted, could barely walk," Logan leaned on the newel post casually as he looked around the room, studying the people at the party.

"Ah know."

"Did Magneto go off at him?" Logan queried curiously.

"Magneto doesn't know, as far as Ah can tell. He came up the back way and Ah dragged him in. Ah put him to bed and made sure no one saw him in that condition. Whatever happened after that...Ah have no idea."

"I hardly know the guy, but I'm pretty positive he ain't playin' with a full deck of cards right now," Logan said after a moment, looking thoughtful.

"Tell me about it," Rogue made a face.

"He say or do somethin'?" Logan asked, looking at her suspiciously. Something about the way she'd responded seemed to tell Logan that there was more going on than she was admitting to.

"Nothin' out of the ordinary for him," Rogue answered, she rubbed the back of her neck absently. She really needed to get away from this conversation. It was too much to deal with and was bringing too much to mind. She felt hot, flustered and uneasy. She'd hoped coming home to visit would help ease the stress she'd been feeling about it, not _remind_ her about it all.

"Rogue?" Logan asked.

"Ah really need some air," she stood up, and without another word to him, she left through the back door leading to the gardens.

She thought it odd how much everything looked somehow different. The gardens seemed almost bigger, different to how she remembered. Even inside the mansion had been different somehow, like a different world. Nothing had changed, the walls were still the same colour, the floors were still the same hardwood floors and expensive carpets, and the people were still as they had been. It'd barely been two or three weeks.

Yet everyone felt like a stranger now, and every thing at the institute felt no longer like home, like a stranger's home. Those few weeks may as well have been a year, or ten. Time had dragged a massive barrier between her and the place she'd once called home.

_God, Remy was right. Ah should have come back sooner...nothin' feels the same. _

"Why'd you just run out like that?" came the voice of Logan at her back as he came through the door from the kitchen.

Rogue turned to look at him, "Ah told you, Ah just needed some air..."

"Plenty of air inside, too. Air conditioning and everything," Logan folded his arms casually and leaned against the wall.

Rogue shrugged, "just a little hectic in there with all the party stuff goin' on. Ah've never been good in crowds," she reminded.

"How's your wound, anyway?" Logan queried.

"It's healed almost. The scars aren't too pretty though. The stitches still need to come out."

"Hank can do that for you, you know," Logan reminded.

"Yeah, Ah know. But Ah'm probably better gettin' Magneto to do it. He's the one that put them in, so..."

"If that's what you want," Logan pushed himself from the wall and reached out his hand to her, "here. Might as well get rid of the scars while you're here."

She looked down at his hand, feeling that lately she'd used her powers far too much.

"What's wrong?" Logan asked.

"Ah just...Ah don't know, Ah wish there was another way."

"There isn't. You realise that being without your powers might have killed you the other night. I hate being that 'what if' guy, Rogue, but...what _if_ you'd already gone through with the evolution and ended up without your powers? You'd have _died_ that night."

"Ah won't be without my powers. Just...in control of them."

"If you say so," Logan wiggled his fingers, "come on, don't have all day."

Rogue peeled her glove off and grazed her bare fingers against his, trying to make the contact as brief as possible. The disjointed fractured images of his memories came to her, and she winced, trying to push back the feeling of rage that always came with his touch.

There was something else there too. It was too fractured to make out clearly but it concerned Remy, a tiny half-second of a flash of him sitting at a table in what she knew so well to be the Bayville Bean Box coffee shop. It was gone too quickly for her to decipher properly, just an image, no words, no sounds, just the picture of him there.

Waves of emotion swallowed her momentarily, and a feeling that she hadn't felt when he'd touched her previously to help her heal from the wounds. His sense of utter abandonment that she'd left. He felt hurt, as if he'd _failed_ her. She immediately felt guilty that she'd felt like the X-Men had failed her for never finding her solution. She'd never assumed that any of them – especially not Logan – would feel that _they_ had failed her.

He staggered a little, the weakness overcoming him quickly. Her powers had been stronger following her recovery. He put his hand on the wall to steady himself and took a deep breath.

"You okay?" she asked concernedly, she pulled her glove on quickly and reached out to him. She saw his colour was slightly paler, and his eyes heavy as if he were quite tired.

"I'm fine..." he put his hand up, "just give me a minute...I'll recover fast..." he reminded.

"Ah'm sorry..." she chewed her lip.

"The wound?" he asked.

She raised her top a little to check, and there were only the stitches left over perfectly healed white skin. If the stitches had not been there, she'd have never been able to tell there'd been a scar there at all. She ran her gloved fingers along the stitches, "it's healed completely."

"Good..." he straightened up, already his colour starting to look better.

Rogue wondered if he realised his thoughts and feelings about her leaving had slipped into her as she'd absorbed his powers. She'd never realised until this very moment just how much she'd missed him. Feeling strangely emotional, she rushed up to him and threw her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. He gave a little grunt, confused by the act, but placed his hand awkwardly on her back.

"What's that for?" he asked.

She gave an unhappy laugh, "just because Ah miss you."

He touched her hair and sighed softly to her, "I miss you too, kid."

* * *

Remy gazed over the yard as he lit a cigarette, wondering if it was perhaps time he convinced the team to participate in a clean up of it so that it looked more presentable. Not that it really needed to be, as all it served as was a parking area for those who had vehicles.

The sky had long since grown dark, and Remy found himself wondering how the surprise birthday party for Kitty Pryde was going. He hadn't really _wanted_ to go, but oddly wished he had gone just to participate in something outside of the warehouse.

_Wanda would have probably come too though, and I don't want to deal with that right now. She'd make it far _too_ public now that everyone here knows._

Remy wondered when she intended to tell her father, and how exactly Magneto was going to take it. He couldn't imagine him taking it very well. He stared up at the sky, the rain had cleared up and the clouds were leaving. The moon was clear tonight, and he could even see a few stars.

_Maybe you should just give this whole relationship a real chance,_ he told himself. He supposed Wanda was at least someone who _seemed_ to care about him somewhat. If it could be called caring. He wasn't utterly convinced she cared but at least it was something. _Everyone's always wanted you for a reason before...for your skills...for your usefulness, the girls always wanted you for what you could offer...but you've never really been _wanted_ in that way. But...maybe Wanda _does_ really want you._

_But she's not the one you want, is she?_ Remy thought dully as he blew smoke rings into the air and watched them disappear off into the wind. If it wasn't Wanda he wanted, he tried to sum up who it was. He'd been growing quite fond of Rogue, certainly, but he wasn't convinced that it could be love. _Could it be love-love, or just...friendship love? Like the way you love a family member or..._

He stopped himself, he supposed he had very little to compared to, as he'd never really had a _loving family_ to compare with.

Whether it could be love, or just an odd ill-fated crush, he was uncertain, but there _were _feelings there. He'd grown closer to Rogue than he had _any_ girl he'd ever known. He'd never liked the company of any girl as much as he liked the company of Rogue.

_But you blew it, because you weren't honest with her. Besides, even if you weren't in a relationship now...what the hell difference would it make? She said it __herself, what kind of relationship could anyone have with her?_

He hated himself for thinking of it so selfishly. There were little things he'd shared with her, just holding her hand, touching her hair, that had seemed far more intimate than being _inside_ of any woman. But could he live with _just_ that?

_You asked yourself this question before,_ he reminded. Y_ou didn't have the best answer then for yourself either. Just go with Wanda, try to make the best of it. Do what you do best, go along with it until it burns out or wears thin. She'll dump you, because when it comes right down to it, there's very little substance here to love anyway, and the sooner she realises it, the better._

He heard the engine of a car growing nearer, and with a defeated sigh, he realised that the party-goers were about to return. He stood and smoked his cigarette slowly, not sure if he was drawing it out just to see them, or if he truly just wasn't in the mood to go inside yet. He was indecisive tonight, he hated feeling that way.

Lance parked the car in the same spot he always left it, and the four Acolytes all climbed out, Tabitha dancing her way across the yard talking about the party, Piotr listening but saying very little, and Lance discussing something with Rogue that sounded to Remy as if it were to do with her car.

As they approached the door, Remy moved aside to let them past, "How was the party?" he asked casually, not _really_ caring if it was good or not.

"Pretty good," Lance shrugged, "Was fairly busy though, hardly saw Kitty tonight at all," he responded before he went inside.

Remy took the last drag of his cigarette and tossed it to the ground to stomp it out; he could see Rogue watching him; her expression was strangely distant.

"You missed a hell of a party," Tabitha said with a smirk at Remy as she went to pass by, she ran her hand against her arm as she walked by him, he turned to see her wink at him just before she left to go to her room.

Piotr gave a glance down at Remy as he went to pass by, "are you okay?" he asked in a low quiet voice.

"I'm fine," Remy responded, pretending to not know why Piotr should think anything was wrong. _Am I much easier to read now than I used to be? _

Piotr went inside, but Rogue was walking slowly, in her hands was a Tupperware box.

"Kitty sent some cake," she said as she approached, "since a few of you didn't make it."

"That was nice of her," Remy admitted, staring down at her and thinking it was strange how pale her eyes were as they reflected the light above the door.

"Yeah..." she handed him the box, and then stepped inside. He followed at her heels.

"Rogue?"

"Ah'm goin' to study, Remy," she paused and turned to look at him. "Ah've got a lot of homework to get through, Ah don't have a whole lot time right now."

"Oh," he said. He clutched the box of cake

"Besides...Ah'm sure you have better things to do..." she looked away from him, her expression strangely sad.

He stood staring at her, feeling guilt eat at him. "Just because I'm with someone doesn't mean that we can't hang out or-"

"Yes...yes it does," Rogue said quickly, she frowned. "You picked her, and...that's pretty much it. You_ chose_ her...you can't have your cake and eat it too..."

Remy's eyes fell to the box in his hands, he tore the lid off, grabbed a thin slice and took a large bite, "can't I?" he asked pointedly with a mouthful of icing and chiffon cake. He forced more into his mouth, "can't I?" he asked again.

"This isn't a joke," she moved to the spiral staircase leading up to the third floor catwalk, she gave a sigh.

"I'm not fucking joking," he said in a muffled mouth full of cake, he followed her to the steps, but stopped at the bottom as she began up.

"Remy, enough, okay?" she turned again, her expression full of hurt. "It might not matter to you, but...it's gonna matter to _her_. Ah've already been on the end of one of her tantrums, and it wasn't fun. Ah had a pipe through my fucking ribs and it nearly killed me."

"I never wanted you to get hurt..." Remy tried, he took the first step but she threw him a look that made him take the step back down again.

"Don't you think Ah know that?" she demanded. "But it doesn't matter. You can't be with her and be friends with me, Remy. She's not gonna allow it. Ah saw how she looked at me...like Ah was...encroachin' on her territory or something. Like you were her property and Ah was tryin' to take it..."

He looked up at her, he could barely even continue chewing on the cake so he swallowed hard, and tried to ignore that he nearly choked on it. He couldn't deny Rogue was spot on. She saw the jealousy too.

"Ah like you Remy..." Rogue confessed, "it was fun bein' your friend...it made it easier bein' here, but..." she shook her head, "it's not worth it."

His heart sank to hear these words, and the rejection made him feel horribly humiliated. He'd never been used to this kind of rejection, especially not from women.

"It's not worth me riskin' my _life_ again, Remy, just so you can have everythin'."

"It's not like that-"

"Yes it _is,_" she hissed, her expression dark. "You want everythin'. You want to have everythin' your own way _and_ have no consequences. But there _are_ always consequences with you. So Ah'm done. Ah'm sorry."

"But-" he tried desperately. His thoughts screamed at him. _Don't let her walk away from you. Don't let her just go without telling her you think you have feelings for her._

But that wasn't good enough. He couldn't just tell her he _thought_ he had feelings for her. If he was to say something like that, he would need to be absolutely _positive_ he felt that way. It had to be all or nothing.

"Good night, Remy," Rogue sighed softly, and headed up the stairs, her back turned to him.

He watched her leave him, feeling miserable and horribly alone. He closed the lid on the Tupperware box properly and ditched it in the kitchen. Without even having thought about it, he somehow found himself heading towards Wanda's room, slipping in quietly before anyone could see him and locking the door behind himself.

Wanda was stretched out on her bed on her side, watching a DVD, her expression focused, her eyes raised to his, curious to see what it was he wanted. Without a word, he kicked his sneakers off, and moved to lie beside her on the bed.

Confused, she turned slightly to look over her shoulder at him as he slid his arm around her and lay his head against the pillow next to hers. He pulled her close to him and breathed in the smell of her hair.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

He had no answer, in his misery all he could do was lie there next to her, and try to pretend that he felt as close to her as he felt to Rogue. Lying there with Wanda felt nothing like it had with Rogue. She felt like a stranger beneath his arm.

She turned around awkwardly and leaned forward to kiss him; he accepted the kiss, glad of any kind of intimacy at this moment after feeling so horribly rejected by the girl he was beginning to suspect he may be falling in love with. He had the feeling that judging by how badly he was feeling following the discussion with Rogue, that it had to be more than just _falling_ in love.

Wanda's kiss deepened, and she reached for his crotch but he caught her hand just in time to prevent her from touching him. He brought her hand up to his shoulder and held it there, breaking the kiss to take a breath.

"Not tonight..." he said softly, looking her in the eyes and trying to find one ounce of emotion in them.

"Then why are you here?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Just...needed some nearness, you know?" he asked.

"But-" she began, her expression showing just how absolutely perplexed she was with this concept. Remy had to wonder if _any _man had ever tried to get close to her in other ways than just sexually. She wasn't very familiar with the attempt he was making so far.

"Wanda...can't we try this? Just...doing _other_ stuff? More just makin' out and bein' tender and just hanging out. I thought you _wanted_ a relationship, not just a fuck buddy."

"I _do_ want a relationship," she said frustratedly.

"And you _do_ want to be with me?" he asked, he hated that he sounded almost hopeful about it. _Perhaps if you get good enough at this lying about it, you can even convince yourself._

_ "_Yes," she said, frowning.

"Well...then lets lay off the sex..." he suggested. "For now."

"You know, ever since Rogue came here...you're different."

"Wanda, come on..." he rolled his eyes.

"No, it's true. You've been completely holding out..." she sat up, looking annoyed. "Like you just lost complete interest in sex altogether."

"Not true. We've had sex plenty since." _I've not lost interest in sex altogether. I've just lost interest in sex with _you _altogether,_ he thought miserably.

"Used to be two or three times a day. Not anymore. Barely once or twice a week right now! It's like you're wastin' all the energy you used to have for sex with _her_."

"If you were actually doin' things around here and participatin', you'd know _why_ I'm too tired for sex. It's nothin' to do with Rogue. I'm _burned out_, that's all."

She looked doubtful.

"Come here..." he pulled her back down and kissed her once again, hating himself, hating that he felt absolutely _nothing. _Not when Wanda's hands caressed his hair clumsily as she _tried_ to show a more tender attitude towards him, not when her lips and tongue gently teased his. The whole thing felt awkward and strange and unpleasant.

He felt almost disappointed that even his body wasn't responding in the way it usually would. It just wasn't turning him on the way this kind of activity usually would have. That couldn't have been a good sign. Perhaps it was just that her attempts at being gentle and loving were so completely misguided and horribly awkward that it was distracting. He was unsure.

He rolled her over, pinned her down and spent some time on her neck, listening to her sighs and moans of appreciation as he gently kissed, licked, sucked and bit at her warm flesh. _Perhaps once she starts picking up a few tricks and gets more comfortable with this aspect of the relationship, maybe it'll work? Maybe I'll like this, maybe we can just pretend like it's possible that we could have anything else other than just good sex._

Even the thought of their relationship working made him horribly depressed. He didn't _want_ it to work, and hated that he was even attempting to try and make it work. He felt like pet hamster that had given up trying to escape through the bars, and finally just condemned itself to go run on the wheel and accept this was all there was to be of life.

_Maybe you should just take off. Leave altogether. Never come back to this godforsaken place ever again. God knows, it's never brought you a day's happiness since you came here._

Happiness...such a hard commodity to come by for those who'd had very little experience of it. If he'd ever felt anything close to it, it'd been on Saturday at the horror movie convention with Rogue. It'd been a good day, a _happy_ day, even if it had ended in disaster.

_Wanda ruined your happy day,_ Remy thought miserably as he left her neck to peck her lips softly, then move to lie back down beside her, pulling her close to him. _She's sucking the joy right out of your life._

"That was it?" she asked, sounding almost disappointed.

"Tired," he sighed, "I need to sleep."

"So go to your own room," she responded, glancing towards the television.

"Don't you want me here?" he asked, sitting up slowly to look down at her.

"Not if you're going to hold out," Wanda answered coolly as she stretched a little.

"Okay then..." he said, feeling the sting of the second rejection for the night. Shaking his head more at himself than Wanda, he left her room without even bothering to utter good night to her. He left to go to his own basement room, that dank, miserable little damp square barely large enough for his bed and dresser. He thought of his uncomfortable bed, the cold of the room and the feeling of breathlessness when he woke up after a night of sleeping in the damp.

_Fits. That room as just as miserable as you are,_ he thought at himself. Unhappily, he threw a glance towards the third floor catwalk, he could just see the top half of Rogue's door over the rail, and the light showing through the cracks. He wanted to go to her, tell her he wanted to leave here, ask her if maybe she would go with him.

_We could go anywhere we wanted to...Europe maybe...Paris? We could do a tour...go wherever the mood takes us. Live out of a backpack, no cares or worries draggin' us down._

He sighed deeply. _She'd never go. Not while she has no control over her powers. She's focused on getting what she wants...and I can't blame her. _

* * *

**_End of Part Twenty-Seven_**

* * *

**It feels like an update-y weekend. Would have come sooner if so many obligations hadn't arisen. I'm looking forward to getting the next few parts up within a few days. Will warn now, there will most definitely be triggers so anyone sensitive should probably beware next chapters (I will make note to put warning at the top though). Hope you're all having a fantastic weekend. Thanks as always for the reviews :)**


	28. MagneticAttractionPart28

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Eight**

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*** Authors Note * - I'm taking a moment here to make sure that anyone who reads past this warning should be fully aware that this chapter will contain triggers which those sensitive to the subject of rape (regardless of gender of victim) may find offensive or distressing. As I was taken over the coals by a few readers in private discussion and in reviews over a previous chapter's lack of trigger warning, I thought it important to put this here so readers shall be aware of what they're about to read (even if it's probably going to give away some of the contents of part twenty-eight). I'm sorry for any distress or unhappiness that may occur from the contents of the chapter.**

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Rogue couldn't concentrate during any of her classes that next day. Each time she tried to focus on her subjects, her mind simply kept wandering to her troubles. Home life was complicated, and spending time at the warehouse had already become absolutely agonizing. That morning, there'd been a brief training session and even being in the woodlands within ten feet of the 'happy couple' had left Rogue with the same desolate emptiness that had once been reserved for being around Scott Summers and Jean Grey.

Only now, it felt worse.

Although Remy and Wanda made nothing obvious about their relationship at all when they werne't alone, Rogue could see the angry possessiveness Wanda had for him, and any time she would catch Rogue glancing towards the boy, her expression would become horribly dark and mean.

_Why did Ah let him close? Why did Ah have to be his friend...? _she asked of herself miserably at least several times every hour. When it all came down to it, Rogue supposed she couldn't _blame_ Remy for deciding to pursue a relationship with Wanda. After all, as far as Rogue was aware it was the _longest_ he'd ever stayed around one girl and continued to have any kind of relationship even if it was sexual. It must have seemed almost natural to slip into something with more meaning.

If there _was_ any meaning to it.

Part of her told herself to just accept this situation and be happy for him. _She can give him things Ah'll _never_ be able to,_ Rogue reminded absorbed his thoughts before, she understood that one of his flaws included something akin to an addiction to sex, and like any afflicted addict, he was always going to be inclined to turn towards it if it was offered. Determination, the boy had, intelligence, passion, strength, agility, personality. He had so many _good_ qualities.

_Unfortunately willpower when sex is concerned isn't one of them,_ Rogue thought unhappily as she left her final . Willpower was what it ultimately came down to. He'd tried to fight an urge and it won, it pulled him into a trap he'd obviously only been _half-heartedly_ trying to climb out of to begin with.

_Ah suppose if a sex addict is going to commit to someone it should at least be another sex addict. Him and Wanda might as well have been made for each other, _Rogue had thought to herself on and off all day. _What's the point of feeling miserable about it? It's not like Ah ever had a chance in hell...why would Ah even think Ah did? Why think about it now when it never even occurred to me before?_ _Maybe Ah just want him because someone else has him? Would Ah have wanted him before?_

Hoping that her whirling thoughts would leave her alone, she went to the Bayville Bean Box to study for a little bit, still feeling quite reluctant to go straight home. She tried to eat a sandwich from the place, but found it hard to even force herself to devour half. She just wasn't hungry enough.

_When was the last time Ah ate? _ She wondered unhappily, thinking it might have been at Kitty's party. She gave up on her studying, still finding it incredibly hard to focus with so much going on in her head, and so, after a quick trip to the library to return some books and get a few more to read in her limited free time, she went home.

The place was as noisy as ever. It was dinner time and even from the front doors, she could hear yelling going on from the mess hall. It sounded like Wanda was arguing with her brother. Rogue decided to avoid the mess hall entirely. She wasn't in the mood for drama tonight.

"Rogue?"

She turned her attention to Magneto who was standing at the open doorway of his office room, looking almost dapper in a grey sweater and dark grey pants. His hair was growing slightly long and one fine silky curl of white fell across his eyes. She thought the look quite suited him, seemed to give him an almost careless and youthful elegance.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"May I see you? Only for a moment."

She dropped her backpack upon the floor near the door and followed into his room. He closed the door. Being in the room with him alone felt horribly awkward.

"Your stitches need removing," Magneto moved to retrieve some latex gloves from the box on his desk against the wall. "Take off your shirt please."

Feeling horribly insecure, she hugged herself and stood there, looking at him.

"Rogue, nothing you have will shock me, I assure you," Magneto sighed at her. He spoke the way only a doctor could.

With a trembling breath, she shrugged out of her jacket and took her mesh blouse off, then the tanktop to follow.

"Sit here..." Magneto gestured to a chair, and he held his other hand to bend the metal backrest with his powers so that it slanted further back, "and lean back against it."

Doing as she told, feeling very insecure, she sat down, hugging her chest as he used his powers to bring over a tray with the instruments he needed to remove the stitches. Gently, he pried her arms away, his face calm, his eyes focused on the area her wound had last been.

"This has healed up splendidly," he ran his gloved fingers across the skin, "flawlessly."

"Logan gave me one last dose of his powers yesterday," Rogue explained nervously, flinching as the touch tickled, "Now it's gone. That's the only _real _perk of my powers...no scars when Ah get hurt if Logan's around."

"You may feel a slight tugging sensation," Magneto explained as he went about snipping the stitches and removing them gently.

She stared at the ceiling, there were metal tiles up there too. The whole room was practically a steel cocoon, and she could see a slightly hazy version of her own reflection staring back down at her. _If this place was ever gonna explode, I bet this room would act like a bomb shelter. Nothin' would happen to anyone in here as long as he kept his powers focused on all this metal,_ Rogue realised.

"I've had a little time to study the DNA you supplied me with," Magneto announced casually whilst removing the stitches.

"Oh?" she asked with a shaky breath.

"Nothing I could see suggests that you would experience any advanced ageing or physical appearance changes," Magneto explained, "in fact you are a _perfect_ specimen for the process."

Rogue nodded, eager to get this done. She could smell the faintest scent of cologne on him, and found it utterly bizarre that he would even wear that. Just another thing that made her more human to her. She spent a moment looking at him, admiring his focus on the removal of the last stitch, and he dropped into the tray that was still floating by his side.

"Turn around," he instructed, after he wiped the area off with antiseptic.

Doing as she was told, she was glad that least her chest was no longer on display. She'd chosen the wrong day to wear the push up bra, she realised. Had he noticed? She hadn't been able to tell.

_He's a doctor, he's used to seeing body parts,_ she reminded herself with a roll of her eyes at herself, she felt the tugging sensation at her back. _He already probably looked at me anyway when he stitched me,_ she thought, remembering the towel that had been thrown across her bare bust when she'd gained consciousness following the accident.

"Keep still," he instructed, steadying her, "these scissors are sharp."

"Sorry," she listened to him work, the relaxed breath, the tiny snipping sound of the scissors, and the sound of the fine pointed tweezers being dropped onto the tray after each removal. "So..." she said, trying break the tension. "How much longer will it be before the machine is finished?"

"It won't be this week, there's far too much to be done," he wiped the former wound with antiseptic. "All the stitches are gone," he moved away and removed the gloves as Rogue turned around.

"How much longer though?"

"I'm uncertain. These things cannot be given an exact estimate..."

"Ah see," she sighed as she reached for her tanktop.

"Patience is a virtue you must practice right now, Rogue. I know you are eager for personal reasons, but we must not rush this."

Why she felt tears brimming her eyes, she wasn't sure, but his request that she wait even longer than she had hoped to seemed to have this odd effect.

"Rogue?" he asked, seeing the pained expression upon her eyes as she struggled to keep from sobbing.

_Why am Ah doin' this?_ She demanded angrily of herself, her face ached with the strain as she tried to remain calm.

"What is it?" he asked. "Are you alright?" he knelt before her and looked at her with his clear blue eyes, showing her that vague hint of warmth he seemed to keep reserved from the others. He was older...much, much older, and yet, he seemed so unbelievably young at that moment, and some strange part of her even _wanted _him. The feeling came suddenly, just as it had before, and so strongly that surely something that felt _this_ right couldn't be _that_ wrong, could it?

"Ah'm fine..." she whispered to him, the tears trickling down her face.

"You are strong, Rogue. Whatever it is you are feeling, you can survive it," he promised tenderly.

She tilted her head, staring at him, seeing him as a person, and not as a terrorist, not as a mad scientist, not as a master manipulator, not as _evil_, and not as her employer. But as a _man._

_He would probably be kind,_ she thought. _Gentle...careful...concise. It's his way. He wouldn't hurt me the way some other guy might,_ she thought as she gazed at him, thinking of possibilities and scenarios.

_Wait_...a_re you crazy, this is _Magneto_ you're thinking of,_ she told herself sternly, as she stared at him through teary eyes.

Although the words _mistake_ flashed before her in big bright letters, she could not stop herself, and she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, a much harder, almost desperate kiss that she hadn't been able to prevent from happening. It was the second time she'd done this terribly inappropriate thing, and the second time he gently pushed her away.

"What are you doing?" he asked, "I told you that-"

"It's appropriate, Ah know," she brushed the tears from her cheek, "But Ah don't care any more."

"Rogue..." he said, and he said her name in such a way so different from everyone else, it was far softer, far calmer, like the lulling hum of a lullaby or a the low keys of a piano. She leaned forward again, moving his firm hands from her shoulders and kissed him, she felt the conflicted apprehension, his lips seemed to almost tremble against hers, and he moved back a little to look at her in a way she was unfamiliar with. It was almost as if he saw her suddenly so differently.

"It doesn't have to mean anything..." she pleaded, she let her forehead rest against his chin and took a deep breath, hoping to god he felt the same at least for right now. If it was _just_ lust that was fine, it was all she wanted, all she _needed._

"You know how wrong that would be," he took her face within his hands and raised it so she would look into his eyes. "You know there are boundaries that should never be crossed..."

"We're two consenting adults," she reminded, "Ah'm not a child anymore...it would be...completely consensual," she tried, not quite understanding where the desperation came from. Why it had come so suddenly, she was unsure. All she knew was, at this moment in time, she _wanted _something. Something tangible, real and passionate and he was the _only _person she knew capable of providing it.

"Just because something may be _consensual_ does not make this _right..." _he tried, his expression clouded. "What you're asking...is...out of the question."

"Ah'm askin' you to be the one to give me what no one else can...just...for tonight..." she felt more tears escaped. "Don't you want me?" she asked. It was a horrible question to ask. She was afraid of the answer. It would be the same answer that most likely Remy would have given her if she'd asked it of him before he'd decided to lay with Wanda instead.

"You are vulnerable...if you weren't so-" he gave a deep sigh, "you..." he moved away from her and walked to the other side of the room, he rubbed the back of his neck, "You are a beautiful girl, Rogue, whether or not you realise so. But there are many promises I have made to take care of you..."

"Ah need takin' care of right now..." she pleaded. She stood up, "Ah won't make it into anything it's not...Ah won't beg you to love me...Ah won't beg you to be there for me, Ah won't even beg you to be _good_ to me..." she swallowed, "all Ah'm askin' is just...for this one thing..."

Magneto turned to look at her, his face paling as he looked at her standing there still almost completely topless. "It cannot be."

Rogue swept her hand frustratedly against the nearby desk, knocking over a pen holder and a phone. "Why does no one want me?!" she demanded, now sobbing. "Everyone pulls away...Ah'm only worth what my powers can do...not much else..."

"Rogue, please..."

She dropped to her knees and cried more hysterically, not sure where the grief was coming from. Maybe it had been building all day and she'd misread it as something else.

"No one wants me," she sobbed softly into her hands, "no one ever has..."

Rogue was surprised when she felt him pick her up and pull her into his arms and she pressed her cheek to his chest and sobbed as his hand combed through her hair soothingly.

"You are so young..." he murmured to her, "and so confused..." he added very carefully, "giving yourself to someone you care nothing for is not the answer. In years you would look back and regret that you lost yourself in a moment of desperation, a moment of weakness."

"Ah'm sorry..." she sobbed against his chest.

"Dad, can we have money for pizza? I'm so not cook—what the fuck?"

Rogue and Magneto both turned to the door which Wanda had just barged into the way she always did without the thought to knock. Her face was blank at the sight of Rogue standing half naked in Magneto's arms.

"Wanda..." Magneto said quickly, "I-"

"What the fuck is this?!" Wanda demanded, she spied Rogue's tank top on the floor, and hastily picked it up to throw it at the girl, "is it not enough that you tried to take Remy from me, you have to have _him_ too?!"

Rogue gaped at the girl, unable to speak, she could move her mouth but nothing more than a little gasping sound came out. _She's going to kill me. She's going to kill me!_

"Wanda! Get out!" Magneto warned.

"_Her? _You're sleeping with her?! I always knew she was up to somethin'...the way she has to be the centre of attention with all the guys here, bein' so helpful with Lance, and bein' all friendly with Colossus and Remy...and now she's sleepin' with you? She's nothin' but a _slut_."

"Wanda!" he yelled.

Wanda gestured her arms out wildly, and in succession every light in the room exploding, sending a spray of sparks down from the ceiling. Each computer, which had been on, blew up one by one, and the tables collapsed beneath them.

Rogue pulled on her top quickly and wiped her tears as Magneto chased Wanda out of the room. She followed them both as Wanda began throwing her rage all over the warehouse around her, doors flying off the hinges, power tools lying around jumping to life and damaging nearby items.

"Wanda, control yourself!" Magneto yelled at her.

"Oh I'm in total control!" she yelled at him angrily, "can't say the same about you!"

"It wasn't what it looked like," Rogue called out.

"I'm sure it wasn't," Wanda growled. "Just keep away from me, the pair of you! Fuck you both," she warned, and as she went into her bedroom, she slammed the door. It was the _only_ door left that hadn't come off the hinges.

"I...will talk with her, when she has calmed down..." Magneto stated quietly.

Rogue stared at him, wondering why he wasn't going to immediately deal with the problem. "But...she's so-"

"Trust me...if I go in there now, she may bring down the entire warehouse. It is better if I wait."

Shaking her head, Rogue grabbed her backpack from where she'd left it and headed towards her room. _Ah can't believe he's avoidin' takin' care of his own daughter. He was so nice to me...why isn't he bein' like that with her? She could have killed both of us just now the way she acted, and he didn't even attempt to sedate her this time! _

"Rogue?" Magneto called to her.

"Hmm?"

"I'd like it very much if we could forget any of this happened."

Rogue shrugged because it was all she _was _capable of responding with. Silently, shewent to her room, trying to put the door in place as best she could to shut the rest of the world out. She was too mad to cry now, but too much frustrated to do anything else but throw herself onto her bed and pull the pillow over her head in the hopes she could shut out everything.

* * *

Remy had been in the kitchen arguing with Pietro about the cooking rota he'd drawn up when the chaos had ensued. They'd heard the doors flying off and the shrill buzzing of power tools. By the time they'd managed to weave their way through the numerous boxes with gymnasium equipment and building supplies that were currently being stored in the mess hall, it had all ended.

Remy stood in the open doorway, watching as Magneto used his powers to pick up the door to his office by the hinges and move it back to where it had been, gently swirling his fingers to put the screws back into where they had fallen out.

"What happened?" Remy asked curiously, glancing around at all the doors and the mess.

"An altercation is all. Don't concern yourself," Magneto responded.

"Wanda did this?" Remy asked, picking up the mess hall door from the floor and placing it against the wall. The last he'd seen Wanda she'd been heading upstairs to go ask for pizza money from her father. He noted she wasn't even around at the moment and must have gone to her room. _I guess they had an argument. Not unusual,_ Remy thought dully.

"I'd rather not talk about it, if it's all the same..." Magneto responded, "leave the doors. I shall fix them."

"Okay..." Remy gave a shrug. He glanced up to the third floor catwalk and Rogue's light was on, he could see her door too had been taken from the hinges and she'd done a poor job of placing it so that her room was mostly closed off. "If you're sure you don't need help."

Trying to push whatever the incident was out of his mind, he went to his basement room for a while and tried to try and rest. He was relieved to find at least _his_ door had remained in tact.

Whatever the issue had been, he was positive it had been Wanda's doing. He'd seen the damage her powers could do. As he'd been heading to his room, he'd seen signs that the angle grinder had left a gash in the cement floors and it only spoke of the kind of chaos Wanda's abilities brought.

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind and tried to relax. It was a short while before he fell asleep, dreaming strange dark dreams of being caught in a horrible, dismal world. There was a strange barrier of light up between the dark world and a beautiful lush floral field thick with trees, and shrubs and fruit. No matter how hard he'd pushed against the barrier, he'd been unable to break through.

The dream then suddenly just changed to the familiar Romeo and Juliet dream. There had been no transition that he'd noticed, only that suddenly he was on the four poster bed and being ridden like there was no tomorrow. Rogue's hair was longer, in curls and her neck was dripping with pearls that would brush against his chest as she leaned down to kiss him deeply. Such pleasure, and warmth, and the strangest sense of bliss like he'd never known before.

It was the only feeling of _love_ he had ever known, and it was strong; a new and exciting feeling that enveloped him and left him feeling almost high as if he were on potent drugs. Being with Rogue in his dream was the closest he had felt to touching heaven.

And then he awakened.

Awakening to find Wanda writhing on top of him already _having_ sex with him was possibly one of the most surprising and almost disturbing things he'd ever experienced. He gave a slight gasp and grabbed her thighs, "Wanda!"

She rocked her hips furiously, hands pinning his shoulders, the bed creaking loudly at the strain. Remy wasn't sure his bed was going to take much more punishment by the sounds of it. The way the headboard was smacking against the brick wall was surely going to attract unwanted attention.

Wanda's eyes were closed, her moans escaped unbelievably loud and almost obvious as she continued with the act. Was she _trying_ to get them caught?

Remy was able to do little but gape in absolute shock, dazed with the whole bizarre event. Had she just _taken _him with no permission? Not even so much as even _bothering _to wake him to see if perhaps he wanted her at that moment?

"Wanda...Wanda...stop," he commanded, trying to suppress a moan. Regardless of mood, his body was reacting just how she wanted it to. He wondered how long she'd been at this? How long had he been _dreaming_ and thinking he'd been with Rogue? Had he perhaps even called Rogue's name in his sleep? "For fucks sake! Stop!" he cried at her.

And Wanda didn't stop. She rocked harder, more determined, her eyes on his now, expression so intense and dark, her nails digging into his flesh hard. He moaned as the climax came far more quickly than he had expected it to, and the waves of pleasure erupted and spilled, leaving him shaking physically, and spent.

Coming to his senses, he pushed her away from him with brutal force, breaking himself away from her in the process and moving from the bed. "Wanda, what the fuck?!" he demanded.

Lying half naked on the bed, she stared up at him, as if she were confused why he'd broken away from her at all. Was she really _this_ much in denial, he wondered?

"You don't even _ask_ now? You just _take?_" he screamed in rage.

"You weren't objecting when I started," Wanda responded, she knelt up, sweeping her hair back from her eyes. Remy spotted his seed upon the inside of her thigh and in horror he glanced down at himself.

"You didn't even...use a condom..." he whispered.

"You didn't insist..."

He had to clench his shaking fists to keep himself from slapping her. Would it be extreme of him? _Promised you would never hit a girl. Don't you dare hit her, as much __as she deserves it, you know it'd be wrong..._

_ "_Iwas asleep! You knew that!" Remy yelled, he grabbed a handful of tissues from the box by his bed and cleaned himself off before putting himself away, "why the fuck would you do this?! Are you trying to get pregnant?!"

"No," she responded quietly, she reached to grab her panties from where she'd tossed them and she pulled them on swiftly before pulling her leggings on.

"This is it, I'm done! I'm just fucking done!" he screamed at her, now no longer caring who might hear. "We're going to the drug store to get the morning after pill. _Again._ And after that, we're _done._ I've had enough."

Wanda rolled her eyes, "you enjoyed it."

"You fucking raped me, you crazy bitch!" he had to hold himself back, the urge to hit her was becoming very strong. _Keep calm, don't do anything you'll regret._ "I was asleep, and you knew it...and you didn't care! Because what Wanda wants, Wanda takes."

Her eyes seemed almost misty for a second.

"You need _serious_ help," he pointed to her before heading for the door, he opened it and headed up the staircase.

"Where are you going!?" Wanda chased after him.

"To talk to your father. He needs to know that you have just _lost_ it."

"He won't care," Wanda stood on the stairs, looking up at him. "He can't say _shit_ about what I do or who with after what _he's_ been doing."

Remy stopped. Why is why she sounded so _sure_ of this now? What did she mean by it? He turned to look at her, and there was a strange look on her face that he wasn't familiar with.

"He's fucking Rogue, you know that, right?" Wanda asked, she leaned against the rail of the stairs, her expression almost...triumphant.

"Huh?" Remy asked, feeling his stomach flip a little, almost the same way it would feel coming down a huge drop on a rollercoaster, or going down a steep hill in a car. "What are you talking about...?"

"He can _touch_ her...I saw it...with my own eyes. Walked in on them...she was naked...and he was touching her...his hands were all over her..." yes, there was _definitely _a triumphant gleam in her eye. And the fact that she knew it was hurting him to hear these things only seemed to make the feeling more powerful for her. He saw it in her eyes, how it gave her power.

"You're lying. Rogue would never-" Remy shook his head. Trying to process this information was more than he could handle. He felt sick to his stomach, it almost seemed to be rising in his throat.

"She _has_. But if you don't believe me, ask her. Or better yet, ask my father," Wanda dared.

And there was _truth_ in her eyes, he could read her face as if it were a book. She was being truthful about it, and not only that, but she was _hurt_ by it too. As triumphant as she was that she was hurting Remy, she was hurt by the things her father had done as well. "So...you see...he can't stop _us_ from being together. We don't have to sneak around any more."

"Wanda...there is no _us_. You've crossed the line, it's over!"

"It's not over!" Wanda fumed.

"It is for me..." he made his way through the warehouse, glad that Wanda had given up on chasing him. Sickness welled up inside of him, and tension held the back of his neck and head like a tight vice trying to snap the bones beneath. He had barely made it to Magneto's door before the sickness overwhelmed him and he vomited. He simply couldn't help it.

The door opened, Magneto having clearly heard the retching sound from the other side. After the waves of nausea left him several moments later, Magneto took him by the arm and led him into the office room, closed the door, not seeming to care about the mess at the door for the moment. He sat Remy down on a chair, then went to retrieve a bottle of water from his private fridge.

Remy accepted the bottle of water and held it against head, which right now was sweating profusely. _Can stress really do _this_ to a person? Christ I feel like shit,_ he thought with his head swimming. He glanced around the room, noting that the place was lit up by LED lanterns, and his eyes moved up to the ceiling to see all the lights had completely blown. The computers were all blown too, and Remy could still smell the smoke from some of them.

_Now I get it. Wanda caught Magneto and Rogue together and went batshit like she always does...she did all this._

"I'll get my thermometer," Magneto went to look for his medical equipment.

"Don't bother. It's not illness," Remy responded weakly.

"Then...?" Magneto stopped, staring at him.

"I think it's _stress," _Remy explained, swallowing back the unpleasant bitter taste in his mouth, "it's happened before."

"Oh?"

"Your daughter just-"

"What has she done now?" Magneto asked, his head falling back a little, his expression showing how helpless he seemed to be feeling and how very sick of this he was becoming.

"She..." Remy wondered how he was going to word this? How could he tell a man her daughter had just climbed on top of him and practically violated him? It wouldn't sound believable coming from someone like him. "She's lost it..." was all he could find to say.

"I'm aware of the problem."

"No...no you're _not_,"Remy swallowed hard, "this ain't about what happened on Saturday night...this is on goin. Has been for ages...and it's gettin' worse. You need to get her help."

"I'm _working_ on it, Gambit. Believe me," Magneto sighed.

"She just..." Remy tried, he put the bottle against the back of his tense neck. "Look...can we speak honestly _without_ you tryin' to kill me?"

"Why does this question make me apprehensive?" Magneto asked, suddenly looking almost angry.

"Wanda has been..." Remy began, trying to think of a way to word this politely.

"Let me guess..." Magneto folded his arms, "she's been making advances...and you've been idiotic enough..._weak_ enough_ to give in._"

Remy blinked.

"You think you're the first?"

"I..."

"Doctors, therapists, counsellors, psychiatrists, male nurses...security staff at the institution..." Magneto shook his head in disgust, "all of them...and all of them allowed it too...and I take it you're no different."

"It's always been her...she's always been the one to—"

Magneto slammed his fist against the desk nearby, it caused several things to fall off, including a broken laptop. "And you allowed it!"

Remy stammered, "I...didn't know what to...I don't know how to stop her...she just..."

"She just what? Threatened to tell me if you didn't do as she said? Threatened to hurt Rogue?" Magneto asked coldly.

"She..." Remy's mouth moved but he couldn't find the words. "I tried to make it into a relationship...I tried to be nice to her...tried to show her affection...but...she..."

"Will you just come out with it?!" Magneto slammed his fist against the desk again. "I am tired of your nonsense and excuses!"

Remy noticed how the paperclips on the desk were sliding around frantically at Magneto's frustration, and how the stapler there seemed to jump and twitch. He swallowed back the words he wanted to say, he swallowed up his fear, his stress, his anguish, and everything he hated right now and decided to be direct. It was the only thing Magneto _respected._ "She needs help. Serious help."

"And I have told you I am seeing to it," Magneto warned, his face going quite red with fury.

"What?" Remy demanded, he stood up and tried to make himself seem taller by straightening his back, "what have you done? You spend _no _time with her, not even alone. You ignore her...you yell at her. The only time I've seen you spend time with her this past week is to fucking _sedate_ her. What is it that you're doing to help?! 'Cause all I see is a fucking _failure_ to take responsibility for your kid!"

Magneto threw his hand up to the air and a steel letter opener from the desk shot across at Remy, spinning in the air and grazed his shoulder and stabbing into the wooden coat hook block behind him, pinning him by the t-shirt. "You will not speak to me that way."

"I just did," Remy winced at the pain from the cut on his shoulder, he reached and tried to yank the letter opener out of the door but it was embedded too deeply. Either that or Magneto was holding it there firmly with his powers. "So tell me, boss. What magic do you intend to work to fix your daughter? Because so far, I see nothin' but avoidance."

Magneto gestured to the project he had been working, the parts of the machine Remy realised was the contraption that was going to be what would possibly give Rogue the control of her powers.

"That...that's for Rogue..." Remy said after a moment.

"No," Magneto said coldly, "Wanda is who this is intended for. It has _always_ been intended for her."

Remy stared down at what was there so far, the platform of the machine was built, many pieces and wires jutting out from various ports. "But it ain't Wanda's powers that are the issue...it's her _mind. _It's her _mind_ that's fucked..."

"They are connected," Magneto said quietly, his fury bubbling just beneath the surface. "Wanda's inner turmoil and rage are being _caused_ by her powers."

"No...she's...she's unstable...she's..." Remy tugged at the handle of the letter opener harder but it still wouldn't budge.

"I do not expect _you _to understand. I have done _extensive _testing upon her, her psychopathy is being caused by her powers. After her evolution, her mind will heal...but first, the machine must be built."

A horrible realisation came upon Remy so suddenly, "You...you're gonna use Rogue as...as a fucking _test_ subject."

"Rogue knows the risks, and has _offered_ herself to be part of this."

"Does she know that the project is all about _Wanda_?"

"She does not need to know. She knows all she needs to know, and that is that this may be what gives her what she wants."

"I thought you cared for Rogue," Remy tugged harder at the letter opener but it wouldn't release him, and so he pulled hard at his t-shirt until it ripped free of the thing.

Magneto said nothing for several seconds, he just looked Remy in the eyes, "apparently_ you_ do...while you have been _encouraging_ a sexual relationship with my daughter."

"I never encouraged shit," Remy retorted angrily. "Your daughter never needed any encouragement, judgin' by what you just told me about her various indiscretions! And regardless, I've ended it, made it clear to her we're through. If she keeps pursuing me, it's all on her not me. And if I have to _defend_ myself against her, I won't be gentle."

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now," Magneto suggested icily.

Taking a deep breath and exhaled it in a long sigh, Remy stated simply, "Kill me if you like. At this point, I don't really _care. _Really, I don't. I ain't gonna stand here and give you reasons why I deserve to live. I probably don't. God knows, I've made enough mistakes, and I've gotten myself into too many goddamn holes to get out of. You'd probably be doin' me a massive favour. But know this..." Remy warned, "no one else is ever gonna work as hard as I've worked for you to try and bring this team together and to try and make this place a home for this team. While you sat in your little office avoiding all of us, I was holding this together, not you. You kill me...you lose everythin' that was worked for."

Magneto stared at him.

"Get your daughter in check, she needs the mornin' after pill or she'll end up pregnant. Then after you do that, you should get her told to leave me the fuck alone," Remy stated as he opened the door. He glanced at Magneto, he tried to imagine how Wanda had claimed she'd seen them together, and strangely in his mind he couldn't see it. At least, not until he saw Rogue's almost transparent mesh top on the back of the chair he'd _just_ been sitting on.

_It really is true,_ he realised with an odd sensation of horror. He'd believed Wanda, but not as much as he believed it now that he saw Rogue's shirt there.

"I shall speak to her," Magneto said calmly. "Don't worry about the vomit. I'll clean it."

Remy could barely believe his ears. Had he really just _won_ this argument? And had Magneto _really_ just offered to clean up his mess? He supposed if it weren't for the horrible circumstances this might have left him feeling triumphant instead of empty.

He left the office, stepping awkwardly over his own vomit as he did so. _Need to talk to Rogue, need to tell her what's going on, need to tell her why she shouldn't do this, that there might be more to it than she thought..._

He went up to the third floor catwalk and glanced into the crack left between her unhinged door and the frame only to find that she was sound asleep on her bed, the pillow half hanging over her head. Judging by her makeup, she'd been crying.

_Tomorrow,_ he thought sadly. _Tomorrow, gotta suck it up and somehow get through to her, even if she rejects me again. I can't let her do this, even if she doesn't want anythin' to do with me any more. Wolverine was right...this is a huge mistake. _

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-Eight**

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**Hopefully I haven't lost too many readers and am not about to be flamed for this chapter. I'm sure there's always going to be someone who doesn't like what I've written (can't seem to please everyone) but I hope that no one has been distressed or hurt by the story. That was never my intention. I never go out of my way to deliberately put these situations in my story as my stories almost seem to write themselves. I hope no one was offended. **

**Thanks as always for reviewing and reading this story. I hope you're all well and hope you're all having a most excellent summer. Love you all.**


	29. MagneticAttractionPart29

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Twenty-Nine**

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**** Authors Note ** As with the previous chapter I would like to mention that this will probably contain trigger warnings for those who may be sensitive to the subject of rape. Hopefully no one will feel offended or upset. **

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Wednesday was the worst day at college Rogue had ever had. Each class was harder than the last, and each professor had been particularly ruthless. She'd made a fool of herself at lunch by accidentally spilling her soup over the wall when tripping up, and her final drama class was made hellish by a lot of experimentation with the lead of Romeo to determine which angles would best be used to seem as if Romeo and Juliet were locked in a passionate kiss.

Her professor seemed none the happier with any attempt at making the act look real enough and Rogue had been so close to losing her temper and telling him to just cast someone else. Somehow she held her temper and made it through the two hours without any incidents.

She drove to the Bayville Bean Box to study again, not wanting to go home. It would be hard to avoid Remy, but now she had Magneto to avoid too. She felt utterly horrified about what she'd _tried_ to initiate.

_Why the hell did Ah just throw myself like that at him? What if he hadn't been strong enough to turn me away? What if he'd just...done it? Just let me do what Ah wanted? How far would it have gone?_

She shuddered to think of what might have happened. It was strange that she found this magnetic attraction to the man getting stronger, and although the thought of being with him repulsed her, it also intrigued her a little too. As glad as she was it hadn't happened, she was still slightly disappointed that it hadn't happened, that she was still left with the unknowing.

_If he is the _only_ chance you ever have of bein' with anyone...there may be no other choice if Ah want to know for sure how it feels. _

She glanced through the window and across to the pizza shop where she and Remy had went the night they'd met not long after her joining the team. The discussion about sex...it'd been so...candid.

_He'd been with Wanda that night before we met in the park,_ Rogue realised, she watched a happy couple holding hands at their window table, laughing with each other, sharing pizza. They couldn't have been any older than she was. Only they had no barriers between them, they kissed, they laughed, the girl smiled blissfully when her boyfriend playfully kissed her neck.

_Ah'll never know how that feels,_ Rogue thought miserably as she stared back down to her getting through the chapters of her books she needed to get through, she finished her coffee, then made her way to her car. Winter was truly coming to Bayville, and there was a bitter nip in the air as Rogue walked towards her car, a group of trick or treaters nearly knocked her over in their races with each other. She'd forgotten it was Halloween, even with the decorations all over the college. She'd always loved Halloween, but today it seemed hardly worth noticing.

_Ah'm not a kid any more, _she realised with an empty sense of unhappiness.

Autumn leaves danced around the street, swirling in spirals in the wind, and battering her in the face until she got to her vehicle. Shivering from the cold, she got into the car, tossed her bag into the back and turned the ignition. Nothing happened at all. Just a click, not even the sputter of the engine.

_What the fuck? This was just fixed, it's supposed to work,_ she thought in dismay as she got back out and walked to the front of the car to examine it. She had almost realised she'd forgotten to pop the hood until she saw that the hood had been pried open, and there were dents and delves where something similar to a crowbar might have gotten it open. With a horrible sense of dread she raised the hood and found what she had expected.

The engine was gone. It looked like more pieces might have been missing but she didn't know enough about cars to be sure exactly what.

_Who the fuck in Bayville steals an engine?_ She thought unhappily as slammed the hood down angrily. She ran her fingers through her hair frustratedly holding back her tears. The second time in a week she had been left stranded with a useless car. This only left her with the deepest urge to kick Remy LeBeau squarely in the testicles for buying her the thing in the first place.

_Great! What the hell do Ah do now?! _She wondered. She got back into the car and pulled her bag from the back to search for her phone. But who to call? She wasn't talking to Remy right now, not after all that had happened.

_Ah'd probably just end up screamin' at him anyway,_ Rogue thought as she considered the other contacts. She definitely _couldn't_ call Magneto. The only two men she'd _thought_ she could rely on once were now under Wanda's influence, and they couldn't do anything without her say so, or without her carrying on like a spoiled brat.

She glanced at the other numbers in her phone, trying to decide who to depend upon. She didn't want to call her X-Men friends, it was still too soon to go back to depending on them, and she didn't a number for Piotr as she was almost convinced the boy didn't even have a phone. She had no number for Tabitha, and although she _did_ have a number for Pietro, she was positive he would make very little effort to help her.

_Lance. Ah can call Lance. He's been less of a dick than he used to be, and he'd be probably willin' to get brownie points with Kitty by playin' the hero to one of her friends,_ Rogue thought as she found his name on her phone's contact list and dialled it. It rang for several minutes.

"Come on..." she begged of the phone. "Pick up...pick up."

Finally, an answer, "_yeah?"_

Rogue sighed relief, "Lance...it's Rogue. Uhm...I need a ride."

"_Are you fuckin' kiddin' me? I spent the last few days fixin' that piece of shit car and it's already broken down?" _Lance demanded in dismay. Rogue could hear the sound of sawing going on in the background, and a moment later, a thump of wood as it landed on the concrete.

"Not exactly," Rogue let her head rest against the backrest, "someone stole my engine."

"_Seriously? That's messed up. Who the fuck steals an engine in Bayville?_" Lance uttered.

"Don't think Ah didn't ask that," Rogue sighed, "anyway, Ah'm stranded here in town...Can you come get me?"

"_Uh...well...I kinda have somewhere to be in like half an hour so_..." Lance sounded somewhat regretful.

"So Ah shouldn't hold my breath?" Rogue asked. _Great. Ah'm gonna be stuck in a car all night while he goes to some Halloween party with Kitty, _ she thought unhappily. "Forget it, thanks for nothing," Rogue sighed and she hung up the phone, uttering the word "asshole," under her breath afterwards.

What were the solutions to her dilemma now, she pondered. She could always sleep in her car tonight, and then at least she'd make it to school tomorrow. It was freezing of course, and she had no engine so she had no heat. But at least it was out of the rain, and there was a comfortable looking enough back seat that she could probably curl up on and use her jacket as a blanket. Her eyes caught a cop on a street beat, and she realised this wasn't going to be possible.

C_ops will find me and end up harassin' me,_ Rogue realised. She didn't quite like the thought of them trying to find out where she lived or why she was sleeping in her car, and she couldn't risk having cops drive her back to the warehouse, ending up in them discovering where Magneto, a known mutant terrorist, was hiding out with a few other known mutant terrorists. _Ah can't do that, Ah'd definitely put myself in hot water, he'd probably break our deal then Ah'd never get the help Ah need,_ Rogue realised.

_What else? Is there a homeless shelter nearby,_ she pondered. _No, Ah'm not gonna go to one of those places. Those places are for people who _actually_ are homeless, not for someone who just got stranded for the night._

She supposed she could always go walk around and find a motel. There were a few in the general vicinity, but she wasn't sure if she could actually afford to rent a room. Hoping for the best, Rogue took out her wallet and searched through the folds. She had kept a twenty for emergencies, and she teamed it up with the twenty she'd been keeping in the glove compartment as emergency gas money. In the back slot of her wallet was the ten dollar bill she'd been keeping aside for tomorrow's lunch, she supposed she would need to use that if she expected to have somewhere to sleep tonight.

_Fifty might be enough,_ she realised. Slipping the fifty dollars back into the wallet, she began the slightly long walk to the nearest motel which was known as the Bayville Best. From the outside, it wasn't the nicest of places let alone anywhere _near_ the _best. _She'd never taken too long to look at it before, but now looking at it from the outside, her heart just sank. An L-shaped building of two storeys, stairs leading up to a balcony to the second floor. The place was painted a horrible salmon pink which looked quite out of place with the rest of the quaint little town of Bayville. An outdated sign – possibly as old as sixty years – stood showing that there were vacancies _and_ that the place had 'color television'. That after thought alone told her all she needed to know about the place.

_It's this, or walk home. Or Ah could suck it up and call one of the X-Men...and that's not gonna happen,_ she thought miserably.

With a slight sigh of trepidation, she made her way into the main office on the ground floor at the end of the building, and checked herself in to a room, glad to find that the room was forty bucks, but she needed to pay a ten dollar deposit in case anything went _missing._

_Yeah, because outdated curtains from the sixties and crusty old unwashed sheets covered with dirty old men's spunk is really what I want to take home as souvenirs,_ she thought with disgust as she made the way to her newly rented room on the second floor.

The room was basic. The walls were painted a dingy grey, the bed looked to be easily thirty years old, and the blankets perhaps older but at least they looked vaguely clean as far as she could tell. The curtains were floral, and didn't match _anything_ in the room and the furniture was mismatched, scratched and damaged, the leg of an end table was being propped up by a copy of a Harry Potter book.

_Least it comes with it's own reading material,_ she tried to cheer herself up as she went to check the rest of the room out. The bathroom looked clean enough, although one of the hand towels seemed strangely questionable and looked a little damp. She made a mental note to not use it just in case.

With a sigh, she grabbed the remote for the television and tried to switch it on, only to find that the thing was attached to a meter that charged fifty cents for ten minutes of viewing. With disgust, she tossed the remote to the mattress and slumped down onto the chair by the window, rubbing her head.

_Terrific,_ she thought bitterly. _When you pay fifty dollars for a room you expect at least to have full access to the television. Ah wonder if the shower also costs money to use?_

She tried studying a little more for her English class since there was very little else to do and she wasn't sure she was ready to sleep on someone else's sheets just yet.

_Ah could always sleep in the chair,_ she thought to herself as she ran her gloved hand across the green vinyl. _It's always an option._

She flicked through the pages of her books, trying to absorb the subjects, but found it very difficult. She felt uncomfortable in the room, it was an unfamiliar and lonely place, and far too quiet for her liking. She decided against listening to her MP3 player or using her phone any further, having neglected to bring the charging adapter for either. She wasn't sure she wanted to be without either tomorrow.

For a little while, she stared out of the window, watching as trick or treaters passed by on their way to the apartment buildings nearby. She opened the window to get some air, and heard the distant laughter from the kids, it making her yearn for the innocence of childhood again, when life hadn't been complicated, and she hadn't felt so much misery over the things she'd never have.

Her phone, which she'd left on the windowsill, began ringing and vibrating, the thing nearly shook itself right off the edge and she caught it just before it clattered to the bad carpet.

Remy's name showed up on the display. She sighed, and thought about avoiding the call. But what if it was important? What if there was _finally_ some kind of mission they had to go to? She sighed, pushed the answer button and raised the phone to her ear.

"Hello," she stated, trying to keep from sounding upset with him. She'd been hoping to avoid having to talk to him for at least a week, but it looked like that was going to be an impossibility.

"_Rogue, where are you?" _came Remy LeBeau's rather hasty demand.

"Huh?"

"_Lance told me your car broke down and that you hung up on him...you didn't tell him where you were!"_

_"_He didn't _ask_ me," Rogue shot quickly.

_"I've been riding all over the town looking for you. I found your car outside the deli, but you're nowhere to be seen._"

Rogue gazed out of the window, "Ah'm at the Bayville Best Motel on Acorn street."

"_Stay there."_

Rogue listened as the phone beeped, indicating he'd cut her off. She stared at the phone and made a face, "as if Ah was gonna go anywhere?"

She moved out onto the communal balcony and waited, feeling the anxiousness stemming from knowing that he was coming to see her. There was something that felt almost clandestine about waiting there for him, almost as if they'd agreed to meet in secret, even though it wasn't the case. She wasn't sure she really even wanted to see him right now. But she supposed there was little choice in the matter.

Rogue heard the sound of the Harley Davidson arriving before she saw the bike pulling into the parking lot out front. She watched as Remy climbed off of his bike, took his helmet off, slipped it where he kept it, and ran his fingers through his hair absently for a moment, glancing around the parking lot and the front of the motel, perplexed. She understood he realised he hadn't even bothered to ask what room she was staying in.

"Up here," she called down to him, watching as he glanced up, seeming almost relieved. He jogged up the stairs, the tail of his long leather coat swaying behind him as he made his way, and he met her at the door.

"You rented a room?" he asked.

"What choice did Ah have? Lance gave every indication that he had no _time_ to pick me up and Ah couldn't sleep in the car, there was a cop walkin' the streets on patrol," Rogue stepped inside and she heard Remy follow her. She sighed as she sat on the chair. "Why'd you come anyway?" she asked, watching as he closed the door behind himself.

"I thought it was to pick you up," Remy stated, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Ah don't need savin' Remy. As you can see, Ah managed to find a solution in the end," she gestured.

"Yes...I see. How very clever of you to manage to procure this...fabulous hotel suite...with the luxury memory foam mattress, balcony of it's own with that incredible view, ensuite bathroom and giant plasma screen..." he nodded, looking around, gesturing to the things of which, were nothing like he'd stated, "Paris Hilton clearly stayed here before you..."

"Absolutely," she responded, trying to not be amused.

"Mind if I fix myself a drink?" he asked, gesturing to the mini bar.

"Ah don't have the money to pay for that."

"I'll pay, it's fine," he knelt upon the floor, opening the mini bar and digging in for something. "Surprised they even let you sign in to this place with an unlocked mini bar."

"The guy was just glad for business, didn't even ask for identification. Ah guess this place doesn't many visitors."

Remy found a miniature bottle of vodka, unscrewed the lid and put it to his lips, taking it straight, and he finished it in one swift gulp. He found another bottle, a different vodka brand, and repeated the action.

Rogue watched him curiously. "You're not going to get smashed again, are you?" she asked, "Because that first time was rough enough, and Ah could barely-"

He snapped his head around to look at her, "what? Wait..." he blinked, "What are you talkin' about?"

She realised her error, and her cheeks went hot. She hadn't told him about his poor behaviour when he'd come home drunk. He hadn't remembered either, and she'd been thankful for that and let him believe he'd just somehow managed to get home and in bed without any aid. Now, however...how was she supposed to explain this?

_Had to open your big mouth, didn't you?_ She thought bitterly at herself as she dropped her eyes to the floor and tried to remain calm. "Forget it," she shook her head, embarrassed, refusing to meet his gaze.

He took a moment, looking at her, she could feel his eyes burning into her. "I didn't just get home, think it was still my room and get undressed and go to bed, did I?" he asked, the sound of realisation in his voice.

Rogue snorted a little. Should she just admit it? Why not, what difference did it make? It wasn't like anything would come of it anyway. He'd probably wear that whole event outcome like a badge of honour just like everything else he did. "No. You didn't. Ah've seen your room. You don't hang shit up when you get undressed."

"Call it foolish," he sat folded legged, looking at her with soft tired eyes, "but I actually thought maybe you'd just...you know, come in after and hung up the stuff and threw the blankets over me."

"Ah probably would have, if you'd actually done what Ah told you that you had," Rogue shrugged a little, she examined a burn mark in the carpet near her foot, and reached down to touch it merely so she had something to do other than sit there avoiding his gaze deliberately.

"Did you undress me?" he asked carefully.

"Your clothes were soaking wet, Ah didn't want you gettin' sick," she got up and moved to the window and stared outside at the back of the motel, watching cars go up and down the main street nearby. She still couldn't look at him yet. Every time she did she thought of him and Wanda _together_ and it sickened her.

"Nothing happened though, right?"

Rogue sighed as she adjusted the drapes a little, really hating that colourful floral pattern that didn't belong. Putting something cheery in a drab room didn't make it any cheerier, it made it more utterly depressing. "Would it matter if it did?"

She heard him get to his feet, and she felt him come up behind her, she could almost feel the close proximity of him, and felt a strange magnetic pull to move back to be nearer to him. She fought it and leaned forward against the window sill so that her stomach pressed against the wall, she was still staring outside. It was staring to rain, and she had no doubt that it would continue through the night.

"If I did anythin' that was...untoward..." he began, and his hands came up to hold onto her upper arms gently.

Rogue snorted again, "what makes you think it was you who did anythin' untoward?" she asked carefully. "For all you know it was me." She wasn't sure why she'd said this, it'd been meant to sound glib but instead seemed cold and unfeeling.

He gave a very deep sigh, and she felt him move away from her. She hadn't expected him to pull away so quickly and she turned in confusion and stared at him as he sat on the hideous green vinyl arm chair, his hands gripping the scratched and dented wooden arms. _What was it Ah said?_ She wondered. She hadn't quite expected him to have so much of a reaction to so simple a comment. _Normally he makes jokes like this all the time..._

She'd seen him looking upset before, but she'd never seen him looking so utterly...defeated like this. His expression was dark, his face almost seemed to sag a little with the weight of this strange defeat.

"Where's Wanda? She let you off the leash tonight?" Rogue tried to make a joke to lighten the moment, she turned to look back at the window.

He took several minutes to answer, and in between there was only silence and the sound of rain patting the window. Then he remarked, "I cut the leash."

"Did you?" she asked, almost amused by the thought. Had he grown his backbone back then? Or was this another deception. "Why?"

And Remy LeBeau responded with a reply so simple yet so completely devastating, that it made her spin around to look at him in horror. It made her _blood_ run cold.

"She raped me."

"What?" Rogue asked, trying to process this. The comment sounded almost...so general, as if he were referring to Wanda's kicking him while he was down, or his finding her wearing one of his shirts. It didn't sound right, it didn't _sound_ like the way such a devastating comment should have been said.

_How did you expect it to sound?_ She wondered in dismay, gaping at him.

"Woke up, there she was...ridin' me like...like...like...a fuckin' mechanical bull at a fuckin' backwoods bar. Told her to stop, she didn't, and it was too late for me. By the time I got her off of me...it was done."

"Remy..." Rogue tried.

"They go on about this thing where it's only _women_ that can be raped, but lemme tell you...it's not true. And even though I fought her off...it's still...you know...rape..." he let his elbow rest upon the armrest and placed his cheek upon his hand, the other hand drawing invisible patterns into the other armrest.

Rogue couldn't find anything to say. Was she sorry? Yes. Did she feel sympathy? Absolutely. But could she find _anything_ that would make him feel better? No. Nothing she could say would be _right _for this. Especially after what she'd just said about untoward things happening on the night he'd come home drunk.

"I really _tried _with the girl, you know?" he sighed. "I was willin' to just...give it a go, put everythin' aside...even if I didn't care about her one bit, just give it a try for the sake of tryin' to make a bad situation into somethin' half-good. I knew I wasn't gonna be happy, that there was no chance in hell it'd ever work but..."

Rogue sat slowly upon the floor and looked up at him, still stunned.

"I should have known that I couldn't hold her off forever. A relationship to her is nothin' but fuckin'. Accordin' to her father, it's been the same with everyone who's meant to have taken care of her. Psychiatrists, doctors, guards, you know? Part of me wants to be mad at her but..." he shook his head as he stared into space.

"Part of you knows it's not all her fault..." Rogue finished for him.

He gave a vague unhappy laugh, "sounds like I'm nearly defending what she's done. I mean...I'm not _hurt..._I wasn't...really...violated. It was just I woke up to her...and...she wouldn't stop. I _know_ there are people been through a lot worse...I shouldn't complain, really..."

"Remy...it's still-"

"I know that..." he glanced towards Rogue, his eyes sad, "I know it's still what it is. It's hard to admit though...that's why I couldn't tell anyone...except you."

Rogue gazed up at him. _Why didn't he tell her father or her brother? Why me?_

"Don't think I could stand any of the others knowin'," he responded unhappily, he seemed to be trying to push something stuck in his teeth out with this tongue.

"Why'd you tell me?" she asked quietly, wishing he hadn't. Wishing she didn't have the sick image of it in her mind.

"I thought maybe you'd get it...since you've been used so much 'cause of what your powers can do. Maybe you're the only person who really gets how it is to be constantly used...and to feel...like your feelings don't really matter."

She almost wanted to cry, and not for herself either. There was a strange elation within her that now he _finally_ did understand. But she didn't want it to be under _these _circumstances.

"I told her it was over, told her she was a batshit crazy bitch and that I was done with her. And then I told her father..."

"You did?"

"Not about what she did last night...but everythin' else. She hasn't been near me at all today so I guess he told her to stay away from me."

Rogue nodded, "that's good."

"There's somethin' else," Remy met her eyes, "in the heat of the argument, Wanda told me somethin'."

Rogue had nearly forgotten about the incident when Wanda had walked in on them, and she already understood what it was Remy was about to reveal before he even said it.

"That you're sleeping with Magneto."

Scoffing, Rogue threw her head back and laughed silently. She should have expected that kind of a rumour was going to surface from something like this. She hadn't expected Wanda to hold back any secrets.

"What's so funny?" Remy demanded angrily.

"She is _so_ far off the mark."

"Is she?" Remy asked, he leaned forward a little on the chair, "because she told me that she walked in on you two in a very compromising way. You were naked."

"Ah wasn't naked," Rogue chewed her lip, "he'd just removed the stitches...and Ah hadn't put my top on yet."

"And that's all it is?" he asked quietly, seeming reluctant to really believe that.

_Why does it matter if it is?_ She wondered. She squinted a little. "Remy...why...is it important if it is?"

"Because he can touch you. I've seen it for myself, the night you fell onto that pipe...I saw him touching you. And Wanda said his hands were all over you..."

Rogue frowned a little, "Ah was upset_'_. He was tryin' to be...Ah dunno, comfortin' or something."

"Did he try to-"

"No..." Rogue shook her head, thinking how completely off the mark he was. _Should Ah just be honest and tell him what happened exactly? Is it really his business? Ah've _never _asked details of any of his indiscretions, why should Ah tell him mine? _"He was a gentleman."

Remy searched her eyes, his expression still so sad. Why was it he seemed so bothered about this?

"Ah kissed him," Rogue blurted, looking away from him, finding it hard to keep her eyes on his after this revelation. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to tell him this detail, but it had come so quickly she hadn't had time to consider the why or what his reaction may possibly be.

Remy seemed to swallow, he sniffed, and gave his neck a slight roll. He didn't like this, she could tell.

She waited for him to say something and it took some moments before he finally did.

"There was some truth to it," he seemed almost crestfallen.

"Does it matter?" she asked. "It was a horrible mistake, Ah feel stupid. Ah'd rather just forget the whole thing."

"Rogue...can I ask somethin'?"

She suspected she already knew _exactly_ what it was he was going to ask. She said nothing but shrugged.

"Would you have slept with him?"

She had to think carefully about this. Would she have? She already knew the answer was yes but she wasn't sure she wanted to sound so positive about this with Remy. Part of her said _hurt him, see how _he _likes it. _The other part of her said be partially honest and finally she responded simply with, "maybe."

Remy snorted unhappily, and he got up and moved to the window now, shaking his head. He rubbed the back of his neck, he was frustrated about this, and she didn't understand exactly why. "Why?" he asked.

"You know why, Remy," Rogue said, her cheeks flushing hot. Did something like this actually need explanation?

"To know how it feels?" he asked. "I told you, it's overrated...it's..."

"If it was overrated, then you wouldn't have gotten yourself into that mess with Wanda..." Rogue pointed out. "If it was so _overrated_ than you wouldn't have slept with _half_ the girls in this stupid town!"

He grunted at this.

"Ah wanted to know how it felt. Ah'm not gonna be _apologetic_ about that...Ah wanted an experience Ah could call my own..." she tried to explain as she stood up slowly. "You wouldn't get it, you've had all those experiences...Ah've never had any. All Ah have is hearin' about how great it is for everyone _else_. Ah wanted somethin' that for once was _mine._"

And then they both fell silent, Remy was still at the window, looking outside, his body rigid, his hands gripping the window so firmly Rogue could see the whites of his knuckles.

"What if I could give you an experience," Remy finally asked after several moments of contemplation. He turned back to her and looked at her very soberly, his eyes intense and dark.

"Excuse me?"

"Would you take it? The opportunity?"

Her eyes rose to him slowly, just what was he asking exactly? "Remy...what exactly are you sayin'?"

"We're here alone, no one can walk in, stop us...no one knows where we are..." he dropped to his knees in front of her and stared at her confidently, "what if I can give you what it is you need?"

"I...uh..."

"Maybe it wouldn't be as...good...as what you expect real sex to be..." he admitted thoughtfully, he placed both hands on the outsides of her thighs and ran them up slowly, "But I can make you whimper...and moan..." he continued, "make you tremble, and shake...and-"

"Remy..." she interrupted, her voice thick. "You've just told me that somethin' _significant_ and _wrong_ happened to you and now you're-"

He lay his head against her knee and closed his eyes, "I wouldn't ask for anythin' in return," he murmured, and he twisted his head to kiss the inside of her thigh, lips leaving a damp print of his mouth upon her black tights.

Rogue drew her breath, this seemed very familiar. But this time, it wasn't _her_ propositioning anyone, and this time, she actually _felt_ something for the other person. Gently he pushed her legs wider apart to move between them, his hands sliding slowly up the insides of her thighs now.

"No...no no no," she gasped, putting her hands on his and stopping them, "that's...it's so wrong..."

"Why?" he looked at her, "because of who I am? Because I'm not Magneto?"

"No...it's not that..."

"Then why?"

"Because Ah think you're havin' some kind of breakdown, sugar..." she said, feeling her eyes begin to water. _Don't you dare cry. You need to be strong, or you might send _him_ over the edge he's pretty close to it enough as it is. _ "And Ah don't think it'd be right for me to let you do these things when Ah know you're not right in your head right now..." she said softly. She timidly reached out to brush the hair from his eyes, he looked back at her, his eyes searching for something.

He laughed vaguely, "oh, chere..." he sighed, "if only you knew how right in my head I am when I'm with you, and when we're away from that place...where we can breathe, and just...be..." he leaned up and pressed his face against her chest and she heard him breathing in, as if he were trying to inhale her perfume, and the scent of the laundry detergent on her blouse, his arms came around her waist and he pulled her tightly against him.

Feeling slightly self-conscious of the fact his face was practically between her breasts, she nervously combed her gloved fingers tenderly through his hair, and let him remain like that for a few moments, as he seemed to enjoy the closeness. She couldn't deny she liked the feeling of him in her arms, how warm he was even through the fabric of their clothes, and how she felt his hot breath through the fine mesh of her blouse as it brushed against her chest. His hands travelled back down her back to her sides and back across her thighs, and she glanced down, watching as his left hand caressed her leg so very gently.

Why did he feel the need to do this? Hadn't he had enough of sex with Wanda? Why was he so eager to be used by someone else now? Was this all he understood about tenderness? That it had to be sexual? That there was no other way to be together?

She closed her eyes and tried to calm her breathing. She'd never let a man come quite so close to touching her this way and both his hands were on the insides of her thighs. What would be so bad about letting him do this? Wasn't it what he wanted?

No...he was too vulnerable.

But his hands were so close, and she was feeling that familiar ache just as she had when she'd been touching him, and when he'd ground himself against her in his drunken lust.

_No...no it's wrong, he's vulnerable...and he's lookin' for somethin' else...not this...he can't be wanting this after what Wanda did...he can't be..._

His fingers nearly grazed the area between her legs and she shifted back on the bed to avoid it from happening, "No, darlin'..." she winced. He'd been _so _close and the mere thought had her trembling.

"Tell me what you want from me..." he begged of her, he put his hands behind her knees and pulled her back a little, "anythin' you want..." he kissed the inside of her left thigh and she could almost feel the warmth of his lips through her thick tights. "Just tell me...tell me what I can do for you...we can figure this out..." he suggested softly; although his voice was thick with the sound of honeyed seduction, she could just pick up on the desperation behind it.

_This is agony, he's tryin' to push my buttons. This is Wanda's influence, this is __what Wanda has done to him. Ah need to put an end to it._

"How about what Ah can do for you?" she asked softly, only hoping that it _wasn't_ going to be sexual. As much as this moment she _wanted_ something to happen, here even in this very dingy and cheap motel room, she also didn't. It would cheapen it.

"Can you take everythin' away?" he asked, "if you touch me? The memories of everythin' that's happened...the thoughts...the feelin's? Can you make it so I lose these last few weeks?"

"No..." she shook her head, "Ah don't think Ah'm capable of doin' that. And even if Ah was...Ah could end up takin' parts of you away that you maybe don't want to lose..."

He lay his head against her left thigh and wrapped his arms around her waist, sighing softly. "Then there's nothin' you can do..." he closed his eyes.

Rogue felt so incredibly awkward having him down there like that, and she'd never quite worried about personal freshness so much as _that_ very moment. _How do Ah deal with this? How do Ah make him understand?_

"Unless..." he sighed unhappily.

"Unless what?" she asked.

"Unless you can tell me that you love me."

She stared down at him, speechless. Why would he want to hear that? The experience? Because it was the only experience _he'd_ never had?

She had to ask herself if she _did_ love him. Her heart ached for him, and now her body definitely ached for him, and she'd been devastated by his deciding to go with Wanda, and now she was even more devastated that he'd been violated by the girl. But was it love? What did she have to compare it to? A crush on Scott Summers?

"Remy, Ah'm not gonna let you touch me in the way that you think Ah want...because...Ah don't want to feel like Ah've used you in the way that Wanda used you..."

"You were willin' to use Magneto..." he leaned up to look at her, his expression full of hurt and rejection.

"Ah don't care about him...not like the way that I..." she swallowed, "not like Ah care about you..."

He looked at her. "I don't want to be with you so that you can use me, chere. I can go out tonight and find any woman to use me in any bar in this town. I've been used...and I've used people...but with you...it's not gonna be the same..." he swallowed.

"Why would it be different?" she sighed.

"Because I think...I'm fallin' for you. I think I _have_...fallen...for you..."

Rogue felt for that moment as if she couldn't breathe. As if time stood still.

Remy continued, looking flustered and awkward, "Just took a little time for me to understand that's what it was..."

Her breath caught a little in her throat and she gazed down at him. Was this true, or was this part of his charm, his seduction? Was he trying to lull her into believing this so he could be intimate with her. Oh, how she wanted to say it back. But how could she? How could she say it without knowing for sure if it was true or not?

"Let me be with you...let me _show_ you that I can love you...that it isn't impossible..." he pleaded.

"Remy, please stop beggin'..." she moved back from him, shifting further onto the bed. He moved forward, leaning up and putting one knee on the bed to lean over her, his voice barely a whisper.

"You want me, don't you?" he asked, sounding hopeful.

_You don't know how much,_ she thought miserably.

He let his body press against hers, and she could tell he was nowhere near excited as he should have been. It only confirmed her suspicions that this wasn't about his own need. She wanted him, yes, absolutely, but this wasn't the way she wanted him. And not yet. Not when she was nowhere near getting her powers under control and definitely _not_ when he was clearly distressed.

He shifted himself to grind against her, and there was nothing between them, and it was only sadder that he seemed painfully aware of it. His expression was clouded with disappointment. With a defeated sigh, he gave her an apologetic look, but said nothing. She realised clearly this wasn't something he was used to, judging by how completely lost he seemed at that moment.

_He's burned out, he can't even get excited, _she realised. She gently placed her hands upon his face and made him look at her, and softly she murmured, "this isn't the way Ah want you..." she brushed her gloved thumbs against his bristled jaw.

"But you do want me...?" he asked hopefully.

"Remy...Ah..." she swallowed.

"Tell me you want me..." he pleaded with her.

It was then that Rogue understood he wasn't asking to be wanted, or needed. What he was asking was much deeper. This wasn't about what she wanted, it was about what _he_ wanted, and judging by the lack of any kind of excitement beneath his jeans, sex wasn't it.

_He needs to hear it, doesn't matter if it's the wrong time to say it,_ Rogue told herself. "Ah think..." she swallowed her nervous, "Ah think maybe Ah'm fallin' for you too...but...it's so soon."

His expression changed, he was upset, and confused.

"My head is a mess...and right now so is yours..." she pointed out.

Remy was trying to read her eyes, he looked vaguely surprised that she'd admitted her feelings, but still almost unsure of the admission.

Rogue continued, maintaining a calm and gentle tone, reserved only for him. "We need to wait...there's no urgency, Sugar...now just isn't the right time for this."

He sighed and rolled off of her, lying on the bed, staring towards the ceiling, his expression frustrated, his eyes distant.

Rogue turned to look at him. Was this happening? Was she _really_ about to enter into something with a boy...with _Remy LeBeau_? It felt almost too good to be true.

_If it _is _true, and this isn't just isn't some kind of messed up mistake because of what happened to him, then...there's gonna be complications,_ Rogue realised as she stared at the ceiling with him, wondering if they were both looking at the same crack in the plaster. _There's a lot of history that I'd have to be willing to overlook..._

She turned to look at him, examining his profile and how perfect every feature was, and how for that moment he was hers. Longing to be near him, aware that tomorrow could change everything, she slowly shifted and tentatively moved to lay her head against his chest to listen to his heartbeat. She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of his sharp but fresh cologne, "is this all right?" she asked of him softly.

He moved his arm to slide around her and he gently stroked her back with the tips of his fingers as he sighed a deep almost relaxed sigh, "it's all I need right now...all I want is...to be close to you," he admitted calmly.

Taken aback, she raised her head to look at him curiously, "Why...didn't you just say that instead of trying to-"

He interrupted her, "I don't know what it is you want..." he confessed quietly, searching her eyes.

She searched his eyes in return, then sighed, "you don't need sex to be close to me, you know..."

Tenderly he brushed her hair away from her cheek, careful to not let their skin connect. She didn't even flinch in fear that he may accidentally touch her. He seemed to be unable to really say anything and just continued looking up at her until she felt it was time to break this slightly awkward gaze.

Tired, she lay her head back against his chest and let the steady sound of his heart beating bring her own skipping heartbeat down to an even tempo. In the morning, they would need to discuss what all these new things meant for them both, but for now, this was enough. At this point in her life, it was more than she had ever hoped for, and it was enough to bring the warmest wash of happiness across her, even if just for tonight.

* * *

**End of Part Twenty-Nine**

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**Hope you've all enjoyed this chapter and that you're all having a fantastic Summer! Thanks so much for the very long and thoughtful reviews, it's always so interesting reading peoples interpretations of what's going on and how the characters are thinking. You guys rock! :)**


	30. MagneticAttractionPart30

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty**

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**** Authors note ** I should give a warning that this chapter may have triggers that people sensitive to violence or domestic violence may find offensive/disturbing/upsetting. Trying to be sure that everyone is prepared for what they may find, as I don't want to be the cause of anyone's distress. 3**

* * *

When Rogue's phone alarm went off at six thirty am, she had almost completely forgotten where she was. When she awoke in the motel room with Remy LeBeau sleeping next to her, momentarily she was completely perplexed by the badly mismatched furniture and the horrible pattern of the drapes. Quickly, she hit the off button the alarm and lay there for a moment trying to properly awaken.

They'd broken apart during their sleep, and Remy was curled up on one side of the bed in the foetal position, his head half beneath the pillow. Rogue sat up and stared down at him, still trying to process the events of the night before.

_Did that all really happen? Did Remy really tell me he thought he might be in love with me? Did Ah really say it back?_ She wondered. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and got up from the bed.

She'd wanted to speak to him this morning, but he was sound asleep, and had even stayed asleep through the alarm. After all he'd gone through in the past few days, she wasn't about to wake him, he'd had enough sleeplessness as it was. She left him there, and went to the en-suite and turned the water on.

As she undressed, she studied the clothes she'd have to wear for a second day, wondering if there would be any way she would be able to alter the look of them so it wouldn't be obvious it was her second day wearing them. She didn't want her classmates thinking she wore her clothes several days in a row. They already mocked her enough for various things as it was.

She washed with the complimentary bar of soap, but had pinned her hair up to keep it from getting wet, she didn't have a hair brush nor a hair dryer and straightening iron with her so she supposed she'd have to make do. As she was showering, the sound of water splashing into water broke through the sound of the shower water running, and she heard a slight groan from the other side of the curtain.

With a gasp, she grabbed the white curtain and peered around, finding Remy's back facing her as he aimed for the toilet, one hand against the tiles, the other on himself. "Remy!"

"I gotta pee," he grumbled tiredly, the urination still occurring in a rather loud fashion. Rogue hadn't timed it, but her judgement told her that it'd been nearly fifty seconds of constant urination. "Sorry if this is a mood breaker, but I couldn't hold it."

_Boy must have the bladder of a camel, or somethin',_ she thought. She wondered if the shower curtain was remotely transparent. _Can he see me?_

"Don't worry, I didn't _see_ anythin'," he responded as he flushed.

Rogue screamed as the water turned instantly ice cold as the toilet flushed and it began pelting her like icy wet bullets at an alarming rate.

"Fuck, sorry...still half asleep..." he apologised, "Really not used to sharin' a bathroom..." he admitted as he moved to the sink nearby the shower stall to wash his hands. "Where's the soap?" he asked.

"Here," she shivered as she reached out with a soapy arm and dropped the soap into the sink quickly before pulling her arm back in and closing the curtain as much as possible.

"I slept like a baby last night," Remy said tiredly.

Rogue stepped back from the shower-head just in case the water would blast hot the minute the faucet was turned, but it remained merely luke warm, and so she tentatively stepped back under. "Probably from those vodkas," she commented.

"Weren't enough to really do it for me," Remy answered, "Where's the towel?"

"There's only one. The other one smelled a bit damp," Rogue responded, she reached over the shower rail gesturing to the other side of the bathroom, "When you're done, pass it over, could you?" she asked, feeling very self conscious of being extremely naked only a shower curtain away. Her whole body flushed with embarrassment. She had definitely not thought this through, but in all fairness, she hadn't expected him to wake up during her shower.

"You sound a bit off this morning," Remy admitted as he dried his hands.

_Ah'm naked, what'd he expect?_ Rogue wondered, she turned the water off, and waited for the towel, standing there dripping wet and shivering, hoping to God he couldn't even see her silhouette in the shower let alone anything else.

"You don't have any toothpaste on your or anything do you?" Rogue asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not a drug store, chere," He reminded. "If you like I can go across the street to the market and-"

"No, it's fine. Ah'll just buy one of those chewable toothbrushes from a dispenser in the ladies room at school," she answered, "towel?"

He passed it through, and she noted as she glanced out a little that he even had his head turned so he wouldn't see her. Probably the _most_ gentlemanly thing he could have done considering the situation. She heard him leaving the bathroom and going back to the bedroom, and she quickly dried off in the stall and wrapped the towel around herself to get her clothes which she'd left on the towel rail at the other side of the bathroom.

She looked at her clothes, her mesh top was going to be far too obvious as a second wear. "Remy?" she called out softly.

"Hmm?"

"You wearing a t-shirt under that button down?" she asked.

"Uh..." he glanced into the bathroom, and she caught him drinking her image up and down before he responded, "yeah..."

"Does it have long sleeves?"

"Uh...yeah, it does."

"Can Ah have it?"

He blinked. His eyes moved up and down her frame again and she hugged the small towel to her chest insecurely, feeling very exposed. The thing just barely covered the top of her thighs and she was afraid one false move might reveal far more of her body to him than she'd have ever liked to.

"Ah can't wear the same top twice in two days, the jerks at school already make fun of me enough," she held up the light mesh top with her free hand to show him. "It's gonna be too obvious..."

"I see," he responded, and began unbuttoning his shirt. She couldn't help but watch him because there was very little else to look at or pay attention to in this hideous bedroom or en-suite. He tossed the plaid shirt to the bed and yanked off the light grey long-sleeved t-shirt he had on, the band logo was old and cracked, but Rogue couldn't determine if it was _meant_ to look vintage or simply just was.

He tossed her the t-shirt, standing shirtless in her room, his jeans still half unbuttoned from when he'd been to the bathroom. He gave a slight stretch and rubbed the back of his neck, rolling his head around a little. She admired his bare torso as he stood distracted, still trying to wake himself up. Her eyes drank in the sight of him; he wasn't exceptionally well built, but he was tall, lithe and toned. She felt he might have the most beautiful body she'd ever seen.

_He's beautiful, but Ah can't touch him,_ she reminded herself. _But if last night still counts...Ah guess no other girl can for the moment either..._

"Turn your back," she instructed, coming to her senses.

With a shrug, he did as he was told, grabbing his button down shirt and putting it back on, taking time with the buttons as Rogue very quickly dressed. She was unhappy that she would have to go to school with day old underwear but there was very little choice for it. She returned to the bedroom, and Remy glanced over his shoulder at her briefly unsure if she were dressed or not.

"It's a little big," Remy admitted, turning to examine her as she rolled the sleeves up, them being far too long on her.

"Ah don't care..." she raised her arm to smell beneath, "smells fresh enough. Ah can't go to school lookin' like Ah slept in my clothes."

"You won't. You'll go to school lookin' like you slept in my clothes," he forced a smirk, although it was an empty one.

"This is gonna suck, Ah don't even have any clean underwear," she sat down upon the bed and pulled her boots on. She wished she hadn't mentioned this. _Why did Ah say that? Now he's gonna be disgusted, thinkin' about how Ah'm gonna be stuck at college all day in gross underwear..._

"My advice would be to always carry a few extra pairs in your bag. You never know when you might need to take off," Remy admitted, and he sat upon the edge of the bed too.

"That what you do?" she asked.

"Always pack a few extra pairs in the saddle bag of my bike, that way if I need to take off I got all I need."

"But not toothpaste," she pointed out.

"I didn't say I was completely prepared," he remarked. "If you like you can borrow a pair?"

"No thanks," she responded. "It's probably a bit early in the relationship to be wearin' each other's underwear," she pointed out.

"So...it's...definitely...a relationship?" he asked, turning to look at her.

She examined his expression, tried to read it like one of her books. Hope? Sadness? It was all there. "Ah thought that's what you wanted?"

"It is."

"Then...that's what it is," she tightened the straps of her boots. "You okay?" she asked, noting how quiet he'd gotten.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." he responded, he reached for the remote and tried to turn the television on.

"It doesn't work without money," Rogue reminded.

"This motel sucks. Next time we decide to shack up, I get to pick," he cracked, but his smile faded.

Rogue moved to sit beside him, "what is it?"

"I...don't know how this is going to work," he turned to look at her.

"Us?"

"Yeah..." he admitted.

"If it's about the touchin' thing...Ah wouldn't blame you if you changed your mind-" she began gently, starting to feel a little heartbroken already.

"No...it's not _that,"_ Remy spoke up, "it's...it's Wanda...I don't want her getting crazy over this and hurting you again. I don't want to really send her over the edge either..." he stood up and moved over to the window to push aside the curtains and stare out at the foggy morning. "I know she's a bitch, I know what she _did_ is wrong..."

"But...?" Rogue asked.

"I don't want her getting hurt either."

"Are you shitting me? The girl _raped_ you. You said it yourself."

"The girl has problems...and I know part of what's...happened...might not be her fault..." Remy sighed. "Maybe it's my fault, for not nipping it in the bud, maybe it's my fault for-"

"Remy, you're being-" Rogue stopped herself, "At the beginnin' of the college year we all had to go to this seminar about sexual harassment and rape, and we were told that sometimes the people it happens to try to blame themselves...as if it's their fault or-"

"Rogue, I led her on. I let her keep taking liberties until she just assumed they were _always_ hers to take..." he explained, turning to look at her seriously. "How can you say it's not my fault? At least part of my fault? I kept avoiding things and they stacked up...eventually it all had to fall to pieces, right?"

"But..." Rogue began, she stood up slowly and moved nearer.

"Rogue...I'm not very well educated, I get that, but...I'm smart enough to know when I've done stupid things...and from the minute I first let her just...do what she wanted with me...that there was gonna eventually be complications. I should have expected something like this to happen. And I should have just gotten her straight that I didn't want her..."

"Don't you dare blame yourself," Rogue folded her arms, "that girl _hurt_ you. I see it all over your face."

"I'm not fragile, Rogue. I'm not hurt. I'm pissed, but I'm not hurt."

"How can you say you're not hurt? Last night you were so...Ah dunno...so lost..." Rogue reminded, "the things you tried to do..."

"I was...I just wanted some...closeness. But seems these days the only closeness I get is when it's sex..."

"Not with me," Rogue frowned, "it's _never_ been like that with me. You've been close with me and it's _never _been sexual...you've lain with me in bed...you've rubbed my back, we've held hands...how can you say _any_ of that was sexual?"

He snorted, "But after what Wanda said she seen with her dad...I don't know...I just thought maybe that wasn't the kind of closeness you was lookin' for any more..." he looked down at her. "Then I asked you if you'd sleep with that old gas bag..." he shook his head at her, "and you said _maybe_...you'd _maybe_ sleep with him."

"He's not an old gas bag," Rogue responded.

"You _know_ how old he is?"

"Yes, but he doesn't _look_ that old...Maybe his mutation is like Logan's and his ageing is slower...Ah don't know...but it isn't as...disgustin'...as you're makin' it sound."

Remy sighed, "look, the point is...you wanted this...experience. Somethin' _deeper_, somethin' much more intimate...and in my head all I could think was if I wanted to be close to you...I had to-" he began.

"Ah don't _want_ you thinkin' you have to pay me favours for anythin'..." she admitted. Nervously and carefully she took his face in both of her gloved hands and sighed, "you don't owe me anythin'. You don't owe me a touch...a kiss...sex..." she brushed his cheeks with her thumbs, "Ah don't want to own you, Remy. Ah just want to be with you."

He gave a half smile, but it was very empty and sad.

"But we probably have to take it slow," Rogue continued softly, "we have to walk on egg shells...Ah nearly got killed because Wanda is obsessed with you and she's not going to be happy about...this..." she explained.

He put his hands on her hips gently, "I guess that means we can't be together."

"Not until things at home have simmered a bit. And we should maybe just...keep our distance, at least in the warehouse...until somethin' is done about Wanda."

Remy looked at her suddenly and was about to say something, but Rogue interrupted him.

"Ah have to get to class soon, Remy, and you should get home, before everyone starts wonderin' where you've been all night...before Wanda finds out..."

He drew his breath, "Rogue, we really...really have to talk about something..."

"We'll talk later, Ah promise..." she assured.

"But it's _important,"_ he tried.

"No...not right now...Ah have a lot to think, a lot of subjects to get through today, you know, and my head is already spinnin'. Every time somethin' goes wrong or somethin' gets said, my school work starts sufferin' and Ah _need_ to be focused today. Ah have a test at eleven, and Ah don't want to screw it up..." she explained. "Come on, lets go get somethin' quick to eat, and you can drop me off at school."

"Want me to pick you up too?" he asked.

"Actually...that'd be a bad idea. We probably need to try and keep our distance at home...if Wanda sees us together comin' home, she'll freak and Ah don't need another pole through my ribs. So maybe if you can get someone else to pick me up?"

"Okay," he sighed, slightly disappointed.

"It's just for a while. This should be _cake _for you anyway. You're good at keepin' secrets."

"That I am, chere. That I am."

* * *

Remy couldn't explain why he suddenly felt even so much more miserable than before the moment he dropped Rogue off at school. The night had gone better than he'd expected it to. In fact, the night had gone spectacularly well considering that Rogue had admitted to feeling what he felt for her.

But he still felt empty.

At the coffee shop as he and Rogue had drank their lattes and ate their bagels, he'd found it hard to focus on anything she was saying about her classes or her day previous. He'd nodded, forced a smile and pretended to find everything fascinating, but he was still far too preoccupied with feeling sad to really be happy now that things seemed they might get better.

_Maybe it's that you got turned down for sex,_ he wondered. _That's never happened before. But then again, it's not like it was really _gonna_ be sex. What the hell did you think was gonna happen with a floppy dick and your clothes still on? Did you think you were really going to rock her world?_

Parking the bike in the yard, he sighed to himself. _You know what's really bothering you? It's that you didn't tell her about Magneto's plans to use her as the test subject. You should have. You should have also_ _told her about the deal with Wolverine. She's gonna kill you. She's given you yet _another_ chance and you already practically blown it._

"Where the hell have you been?"

He gasped, as standing at the door with a cigarette in her hand was Wanda, looking agitated, and tired, as if she hadn't slept all night. She was dressed in another one of her red corsets, the thing was covered in an impressive array of zips, chains and buckles. She was definitely dressing to be noticed today, he realised. It wasn't a good sign.

"Out," he responded after quickly recomposing himself.

"All night?" she snorted.

"Yes. Problem?" he shot her a look, climbed off the bike and moved to pass by her.

"Rogue hasn't been home either," Wanda flicked the ash from her cigarette, "I suppose you'd know all about that, though, wouldn't you?"

"Fuck off," Remy stepped into the warehouse. He heard her heavy boots as she moved behind him.

"Excuse me?" she demanded almost shrilly.

"You heard," he remarked. He suddenly didn't really care about being discrete, Wanda's attitude was already getting to him far too much for that and he wasn't in the mood to walk on eggshells after what she'd done to him. _She hurt you, now it's your turn to hurt her. _ "I told you, bitch. I'm fucking done with you. I don't want anything more to do with you. I can't stand the fucking sight of you. _We're through._"

"We're not through."

"Yes we are, even told your father."

"Don't care what he says. You think he can stop me?" she gave an ironic laugh.

"Yeah, that's you all over, isn't it, Wanda?" Remy threw her a disgusted look, "You don't care what anyone says. You're just gonna do what you're gonna do. Well not with me, and not any longer. I'm done, we're through. And if you can't get it into your head, too bad," he turned his back on her and began to walk away once again.

He was surprised when she caught him, tackling him using one of the very tricks he'd taught her. His legs were kicked out from beneath him, and in an instant, she had his arm behind his back and pinned him down to the floor face first, twisting herself round to push her knee against his back. Something grasped around his legs and he realised it was some loose cabling from the building project that she'd manipulated with her powers, he could hear the sound of the plastic scraping against his rough jeans as it wound it's way around his legs.

"You gonna fuck me against my will again, you crazy bitch?" he asked, one side of his face pressed into the dirty cement floor so much that his voice was half muffled.

"You know you want it," she remarked thickly, "the pleasure...the _pain..."_

Something hot grazed his ear and he gave a cry of pain. She'd taken the lit cigarette and run it against the tip of his ear quickly. He struggled and felt his wrist nearly break with the strain.

_Had to show her _this_ move, didn't you? You fucking idiot,_ he thought angrily at himself as he struggled.

"Stop!" he cried at her, his ear throbbing hot with the pain.

He felt the cigarette tip brush the back of his neck, and even smelt the strong smell of burning hair.

"Let me go you crazy bitch!"

"You think this hurts?" she asked, "You'll know what _real_ pain is if I _ever_ catch you with her. You're mine!"

"I've never been yours and I never _will _be!" he yelled loudly. This time, as he felt her push the lit end of her cigarette directly into the nape of his neck, he let out a blood curdling howl he'd have never expected to have come from his own lungs. The sound carried through out the otherwise quiet warehouse. Where was everyone? Why had no one come to his aid?

"What will it take, Remy?" she demanded, "what do I have to do? Get rid of her?"

"You leave her alone!" He struggled harder, tears of agony trickling down his nose. His wrist felt like it was nearly going to break in his attempt to get away from her. His free arm was not free but trapped beneath him and it was already starting to tingle with the loss of circulation. He could feel nothing with the hand behind his back that was hanging loose from her, nothing that he could grab and charge and let go to give a decent enough explosion and impact to get her off of him.

_She's gonna kill you. She's a fucking psychopath and she's gonna kill you. This is why you shouldn't fuck with crazy people._

"You tell her to leave you alone, and if I _ever_ see her around you I'll-"

"Let him go!"

Remy heard Magneto's loud voice booming across the entire warehouse, it seemed to echo from every wall, and nearly shake every metal item in the vicinity.

"This doesn't concern you!" Wanda yelled at her father.

There was an impact, and he felt Wanda being knocked off him with some kind of mighty rush like the push of a magnet, but one thousand times more powerful; the force caused him to roll over several times across the floor.

_The metal on her corset,_ Remy realised as saw Wanda being thrown twelve feet in the direction he was facing until she slammed hard into the brick wall and was pinned there, there was an expression of pain as she made impact, and then one of fury as she tried to get away, her legs kicking viciously out, her arms swinging left and right.

"Do not make me sedate you again!" Magneto warned.

_Why hasn't he? Doesn't he see she's completely lost it?_ Remy wondered in dismay as he slowly pushed himself up, his ear and neck felt as if they might be on fire, even as they grazed the collar of his leather coat. He almost tripped in the tangle of wires around his legs and barely caught himself on the table in time to prevent a fall. He was shaking. He couldn't believe he was _physically_ shaking from such an attack. His heart was pounding so horrendously that he could hear it in his own ears.

Kicking off the wires, Remy moved slowly towards his boss, who was standing at his office door, holding it open.

_Why aren't you doing anything?_ Remy wanted to demand, but he could see some kind of quiet unsaid battle was going on between Magneto and his daughter, judging by the looks they were giving each other.

Remy slipped into the office and dropped down onto the nearest chair, he looked down and saw his hands were violently shaking, especially the left hand, which had been the one that she'd had behind his back. Quickly, he wiped the tears from his face, wondering momentarily if perhaps if they were a mix of pain _and_ terror.

"You're going to go to your room and you're going to take your medication," said Magneto to Wanda, Remy could only hear a little of Wanda's response, but it sounded as if she were going to disobey. Magneto's response was, "if you want to go back to the asylum...all it will take is one phone call. They have been building a room for you on my instructions, Wanda, and they are just _waiting_ for that call. This time, you would not escape."

Nothing else was said between them. Magneto came in and closed the door, and moved to Remy slowly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and he reached to check the burn on Remy's ear but Remy quickly recoiled, slightly shaken.

"She burned me," Remy responded, he tried to get a hold of himself.

Magneto gently examined the areas, but even his touch was far too much to bear and Remy flinched away again.

Magneto went and retrieved a bottle of water from his private fridge and brought it to him, "put this against your neck," he said.

Pressing the almost ice cold bottle to his neck was very little relief, the burn stung at the slightest touch and the pain throbbed through the back of his neck as if the wound were the size of a tennis ball. Remy watched as Magneto moved to find something to treat the burns with.

Remy was waiting for some kind of apology but received none. He expected Magneto to at least account for his responsibility in this but nothing happened. The girl _should_ have been sedated and taken away. She was dangerous!

"You gotta do something," Remy finally spoke up after minutes of silence, and becoming quite annoyed with Magneto's disregard for the situation.

Magneto came out with the supplies and laid them out on the nearby desk, then pulled on a pair of latex gloves from the box he kept there.

"Are you _listening?"_ Remy snapped. "Your fucking daughter was close to _killing _me out there!" he hissed, pain seething through him, his body still trembling. Ironically, even after being burned with the lit end of a cigarette, he wanted a cigarette right at this moment all the same.

"You are upset," said Magneto, "try to calm down."

"Calm down? What kind of parenting is this?! You just let her walk away from that! Smack on the back of the hand, boo hoo, go to your room?! She burned me with a fucking cigarette! She threatened to do worse! What part of _bitch ass crazy_ do you _not_ understand about her?!"

"I am very close to being able to help her," Magneto responded, he seemed to be fighting the urge to reprimand Remy for his back-chat.

"She needs to be drugged up and locked in a fucking padded room and the key needs to be thrown away!" Remy yelled, he felt Magneto put something cold on his ear and pain shot through his raw flesh like liquid sparks. "FUCK!" he yelled.

"Please refrain from using this language," Magneto responded coldly, "you've used quite enough of it since coming into my office."

"Can I at least smoke?" Remy demanded, reaching for his cigarette pack in the pocket of his leather coat. The moment he did, pain shot through his left wrist and he cried out.

"What?"

"I don't know, she hurt my wrist," Remy winced, he brought his arm back up and held it within his right. "She does damage wherever she goes."

"Bear with it, it will not be for very much longer."

"You need to put her away!"

"An institution will not help her. People will only be hurt."

"People are getting hurt _now_, what you think I _asked_ to have a cigarette put out on the back of my neck!?" Remy demanded. He felt something cold and instantly soothing being applied to the burn on his ear.

"She is my _daughter,_" Magneto responded.

"And you're not taking responsibility! She's running around doing as she pleases, and you're just letting her away with it..."

"Do not tell me how to raise my children. You are not a father, you would not understand."

"She is _screaming_ for your attention, just _screaming_ for you to do something, like slap her or fucking kick her ass, or something. She's looking for some kind of response. You think she's doing this just for amusement?"

"I..." Magneto began.

"She did it in the middle of the warehouse. Why not catch me _alone_ in my room if she didn't want to be caught?" Remy hissed as Magneto moved the bottle from his neck to examine the damage.

"This will hurt quite a bit."

"Do it."

There was another cold, intense stinging sensation as Magneto began trying to clear the ash from the wound. Remy felt the tears burning his eyes and he closed them tightly, gritting his teeth to keep from crying out. He tried to think of how he wanted to word things to his boss, how he wanted to explain exactly _what_ Wanda had threatened him with and how far she'd gone with him. But it didn't seem like Magneto would care.

_The Magneto I know, and the Magneto _Rogue_ knows seem to be two different people entirely,_ thought Remy bitterly.

"Can you move you wrist?" asked Magneto as he was putting ointment onto the back of Remy's neck. The pain began to numb only slightly, just enough to take the edge off of it, but not enough to remove the heat. Remy winced knowing that it was going to be a while before he could wash his hair again without feeling intense agony of warm water against the wound. He supposed that was the least of his problems right now.

Remy attempted to move his wrist and roll his hand and when he did, he felt something snap and he let out a howl. If it hadn't been broken before it was most _definitely_ now. That final attempt to move it had been the last straw. He held up his injured wrist, sucking in his breath through his teeth.

"I heard it..." Magneto said, "it's broken."

"Terrific. Great fucking start to the day," Remy hissed through his gritted teeth.

"I did tell you to curb that language."

"And I told you to keep your daughter under control," Remy shot back quickly. "I'm startin' to really question why I'm still workin' here. 'Cause this place is more trouble than I really need."

"If you would like, then leave," said Magneto. "I am not holding you here. You may leave at any time you wish."

Remy realised this was true. Magneto wasn't holding him here. He _could_ leave.

But what about the others? What about Piotr? What about _Rogue?_

_I can't leave until _she_ leaves. She won't be safe, Wanda would hurt her, Wanda would do something to her...maybe deliberately cause the machine to kill her...or ruin her life...I can't._

_ "_Well?" asked Magneto coldly, "are you going to leave."

Remy stared down at the floor, "Perhaps," he lied. _Perhaps when Rogue decides to leave with me, then I'll leave. "_Perhaps."

* * *

**End of Part Thirty**

* * *

**I'm sure you all seen something like that coming eventually. Hopefully no one was upset with the cigarette burning, Remy attack thing. I'm sure some will say that he could have gotten loose somehow (one of his specialities as always) but even Remy LeBeau can't be on his A game all the time (especially not with a psychotic person kneeling on his back and wires wrapped around his legs). **

**As always thanks to those who put in the time and effort to review; especially the long thoughtful reviews, it's always so interesting to read them and see people's thoughts and feelings about the situations, you all have such interesting interpretations and theories, absolutely love it. I loved that someone picked up on how easily Rogue's engine was stolen and how the cops weren't doing their job (even though there was one on the beat as Rogue was in her car). Who would steal an engine in Bayville and get away with it that easily? Strange. ;) **

**Hope you all enjoyed this part and I hope you all have an awesome weekend :) **


	31. magneticattractionpart31

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-One**

* * *

As Rogue left her final class for the day she found Piotr Rasputin's white transit van parked outside in the misty parking lot. She approached the van and he climbed out to let her in, the door on the passengers side was still broken.

"Hi," she said, trying to sound less preoccupied than she was.

"Hello," he responded warmly as he climbed in, then he started the ignition and took the van out of the parking lot. "How was class?"

"Tiring. These professors are such assholes...they want to give us all nervous breakdowns, I'm sure. They ask too much in too little time. Deadlines are so harsh sometimes," sighed Rogue, she put her backpack on the floor between her feet. She turned to look at Piotr and somehow, just by the expression on his face, she could see that something was bothering him.

"I'd have liked to have gone to college but the expense was too much. I save and hope to go to art school, some day," said Piotr.

"You really should," Rogue nodded, "you have talent..."

"Painting is only thing I really enjoy."

"Ah wish Ah had some kind of talent like that, somethin' that amounted to somethin'," Rogue shrugged. "Ah was never good at art, or writin', or poetry, or even dancin'..." she sighed.

"You can act," Piotr admitted.

Rogue raised an eyebrow at him, "how'd you know?"

"Gambit mentioned," he explained, "he said you do very well and you make things sound beautiful when you say them."

Rogue blinked, surprised by this statement. She wondered if this was actually what Remy had said or if Piotr was paraphrasing or mistranslating. Either way, it was the best compliment she'd ever had.

"Well, he likes to over exaggerate," Rogue smiled a little, looking away, feeling her cheeks grow a little pink with delight.

Piotr stopped the van at a red light and turned to look briefly at Rogue. She felt there was something he wanted to say but couldn't quite find a way to say it.

"Is something the matter?" Rogue asked softly.

"Gambit asked me to pick you up," said Piotr, "and to talk to you. About situation."

"Situation? What situation?" Rogue asked, she sat straighter a little, "is something wrong?"

Piotr opened his mouth, but no words came. He sighed and checked the mirrors, avoiding her gaze.

"Pete..." Rogue put her hand on his thick arm, "tell me..."

Piotr glanced back to her, "I was told to just pass on a message," he glanced up at the lights, "But please...do not kill the messenger, as they say."

"Pete, what's going on?" Rogue asked softly, "is something...I mean...did something...happen...or something?" she bit her lip.

"I...can only pass on what I was told to pass."

"Okay..." she responded, feeling very irritable now. "What's the message?" she asked with some trepidation.

"Remy says...that you should keep away from him," Piotr said, his cheek twitched a little.

"Huh?" she stared at the giant blankly.

"He also said..." Piotr began as the lights changed and he moved the van to turn the corner. "That you should maybe disregard everything. Everything that happened, everything that was said...that it might be best."

"Disregard?" she asked, her breath catching in her throat, her eyes feeling slightly misty.

"Disregard," said Piotr, nodding. "What is this word? Disregard?"

"It means," said Rogue, her voice thick, "that it should be forgotten."

"I see," said Piotr, his expression dark. "If...you take my advice, you listen and do this."

"Why?" she asked, holding back tears. What was this? Was Remy playing some kind of sick mind game with her? Everything had been fine this morning and now? Now it had suddenly gone awry? Now instead of her wanting to keep her distance, it was _Remy_ who wanted to do so.

"I cannot say," said Piotr, his unease quite clear.

The rest of the drive was in silence as Rogue tried to fathom exactly what was wrong and what was happening. She could feel that something was badly wrong in the pit of her stomach and felt dread building the closer they got to home, so much that she almost contemplated asking Piotr to take her back to town so she could spend time in the library.

She suddenly _didn't_ want to go home.

As Piotr parked his van in the usual place, Rogue stared out of the windows at the mess in the yard, she made a mental note to herself that perhaps she might spend some time out here cleaning up some of this since no one else seemed focus on it.

_Maybe being outside a bit would help,_ she thought as she climbed out of the van and walked around to get to the doors. Piotr followed, and before he reached to open the heavy door for her, he put his heavy hand on her shoulder, almost as if he felt _sorry_ for her.

_Does he know what happened last night with me and Remy? Did Remy tell him? _ She wondered. She was too afraid to ask him. Instead, she simply let him open the door and she stepped inside. The place was oddly quiet, even the television volume up in the living room area was strangely low.

Lance was working by the gymnasium area cleaning up some of the mess, something Rogue had thought Remy was meant to be doing.

"Where's-" Rogue was about to ask where Remy was exactly, but Piotr touched her shoulder again to stop her, and she turned to look at him questioningly. And then she spied him coming from the upstairs living room area. She could see his ear was swollen and red, and his arm was in a cast. She blinked. "What the-"

And then she saw Wanda standing at the other end of the warehouse, her expression dark, the room practically vibrating under the pressure of her power.

_Wanda did this...oh my god...Wanda broke his arm and hurt him...oh god!_ She thought in horror.

"Come, let me make you coffee," offered Piotr, in an attempt she recognised to get her out of the room and away from Wanda and Remy. As Rogue let Piotr lead her away she threw one last glance towards Remy, his face was so dark and unhappy. There was also a strangely apologetic and guilty look there. He turned to look away from her, his jaw seemed tight, lips pursed.

In the kitchen, she stopped Piotr before he could even reach the coffee pot, she took a hold of his arm and tried to turn him towards her, which was not easy given his strength and bulk in comparison to her much smaller frame.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"I cannot speak of these things," Piotr responded quietly, he turned to look at her, "you should not ask. It would be best for both of you."

"Wanda did that to him, didn't she?" Rogue asked in a hush, she glanced around quickly to make sure Wanda had not followed them in.

"I saw nothing," Piotr answered carefully, he reached for the pot whilst grabbing for a cup from the shelf nearby. "I was not here when...whatever...occurred."

"Someone must have told you. Remy _must have_ told you what happened..." Rogue kept her voice low still.

Piotr poured the coffee, his expression clouded. He seemed conflicted, as if he were fighting with himself over what to answer with. "He gave me the message to give to you. He said nothing more."

"Oh come on," Rogue frowned, "you're his _friend_, you're telling me he said nothing?"

"He tells me very little," Piotr stated coolly.

"Pete..." Rogue pleaded with him, "please...I know you know more...tell me..."

Piotr paused, he took a deep breath, "He is hurt. He was upset, and angry..." he rubbed the back of his neck irritably. "These are all that I know. Whether it was Wanda or not, I could not say."

"In your opinion?"

"I cannot have opinion," Piotr responded quickly, his face flushing, he handed her the coffee. "But if I did, I would keep it to myself."

Rogue stared into the coffee cup unhappily.

"You should trust his judgement, if he says you should keep your distance...then this is what you should do," Piotr warned carefully.

"Ah can't without an explanation..." Rogue shook her head, she put the coffee down and turned to leave, intent on finding out exactly what had happened.

Piotr grabbed her arm quickly and pulled her back, "are you not listening? He is trying to _protect you_," he hissed in a quiet voice.

"From _what_? You think she has _anythin'_ on me?" Rogue demanded, trying to pull away, "Ah can take care of myself."

"Remy thought so too."

Rogue struggled with him, "let me go."

Getting frustrated, he yanked her back hard, pushed her against the fridge and held her there by pinning her shoulder firmly, he leaned down to look her in the eye, "do you want to get him killed?"

Rogue stared him right in the eye, he was deadly serious. She tried to calm herself, somewhere between fury and near tears. "But..." she began, thinking of how close she'd been to Remy only sixteen hours before. How he'd confessed his feelings, how she'd _confessed hers_. Now it had to be all forgotten? Because Wanda was jealous?

_No. Because Wanda is a fucking psychopath,_ she realised unhappily.

"If I told you that he wishes you to _leave_, would you go?" Piotr asked gently.

Rogue looked to the floor, she wished she could prevent the tears from spilling down her face. Could she leave? _Ah'm so close to the answer to my powers. Ah can't just go yet. _

It wasn't only the thought of going before having her powers cured that bothered her either. The thought of leaving _now_ when she was so close to finally coming to being in some kind of relationship with someone was excruciating. She'd waited for so long to feel something for someone and have those feelings reciprocated. The thought of leaving before something had begun agonized her.

"Ah can't."

Slowly, Piotr took his hands away from her, making sure that she wasn't about to run off to start a fight with Wanda. "Then whatever your reasons for staying here, you should be _very_ sure that you understand the risks, my friend," he said softly.

"What _risks?_ Ah'm not afraid of her!"

Piotr folded his arms, "Neither was he."

Rogue drew her breath.

"Sit and drink your coffee, and calm down," Piotr suggested, he picked up the cup and handed it to her once again, "I must get back to work. Please promise me you will not start anything. For both of your sakes."

"Fine," Rogue said quietly. She sighed and sipped the bitter liquid. She never took her coffee this way but right now she didn't care.

Piotr left her alone in the kitchen and she stood there, sipping her coffee, trying to calm herself down and clear her head. It took some time for her to body to stop shaking with anger and her heartbeat to slow to a steady rhythm.

_What now?_ She thought unhappily, she moved to the mess hall and sat down at one of the tables, sighing to herself.

She felt the room seem to vibrate, an odd sensation that made the hairs on the back of her neck seem to stand on end. She turned slowly to look over her shoulder to see Wanda standing there, looking dangerous and angry.

Sucking in a nervous breath, she stated calmly, "Ah'm not in the mood, Wanda."

"You think you're so hot, don't you?" Wanda moved closer, the thick sole of her heavy boots thudding hard against the tile floor, the chains on her corset seemed to tinkle and chime.

"Huh?" Rogue asked, almost scoffing. She'd never thought any such thing.

"Sneakin' around my guy, and my dad...probably half the other guys here too...my brother for all I know, god knows, he doesn't have any taste either..." Wanda ran her fingers lightly across one of the tables as she passed. Rogue heard the wood creak and split at the girl's wicked touch.

"Ah beg your pardon?" Rogue stood up slowly, "just what are you tryin' to say?"

"That you're a _slut_."

Rogue almost laughed hysterically, "seriously? You're gonna stand there and accuse me of _that_? You? _You_ above all people? From what _Ah've _heard, you'd open your legs for _anyone_..."

Wanda stepped forward, and Rogue stood her ground, trying to not let herself be intimidated by that dangerous look in the girls startlingly blue eyes. "You fucked my father."

"Ah did no such thing," Rogue remained calm, "and you know that."

"You keep away from him, _and _Remy."

"Make me."

"You can't _give_ Remy what I can."

"Can't Ah?" Rogue dared. _Great goin'. Make plans about treadin' carefully around her, and then just annoy her...that's gonna work well. _

Wanda smirked, "and you'll never have what I can have."

Rogue glared at the girl, her blood ran cold and seemed to boil all at the same time, her nerves tingled with anger and fear. She knew what this girl was capable of, but she didn't want to back down to it.

"He can't fuck you, and that's all he wants, that's all he needs," Wanda stepped forward, and Rogue felt inclined to step backwards a little, intimidated somehow. "You might have interested him, but what good are you to him?" she snorted, "none at all."

Composing herself, Rogue said nothing, she held back. She wanted to punch the girl in the face, break her nose, make her _bleed_. She _deserved _to bleed.

"You'll never have what I've had with him..." Wanda drew her breath and then spoke hotly as she leaned close to Rogue, her face inches away, their eyes locked, "I've had him deep..._deep _inside me..." she gave a slight moan almost as if the thought were enough to get her off. "Felt him come deep in me..." she sighed softly, "had his tongue against me, and inside me..." she said lewdly, "his hands against me...fingers inside..."

Rogue looked down in complete and utter disgust as Wanda put her hands upon her own breasts and gave an insane giggle.

"But you'll never feel that..." Wanda leaned closer and breathed the words in to Rogue's ear. "You'll never feel how hot he is in your hands...how his cock pulses, you'll never know how salty he tastes, how good his mouth feels..." she looked almost triumphant as she continued, "there isn't anything he _hasn't_ done to me..." she remarked smugly.

Swallowing the thick taste of disgust and of jealousy, Rogue looked her straight in the eye and responded with, "there's one thing."

"I doubt it," Wanda laughed lightly.

Quickly, Rogue continued, "he hasn't ever told you he loves you."

The girl's face fell, and she seemed to pale, her mouth trembled, the lights flickered, and Rogue was almost positive that Wanda was _about_ to punch her, bare fisted. Rogue _hoped_ for it. It'd knock the girl for six, _then_ she'd make her own move and take the bitch down.

But before anything _could _happen Wanda was dragged back by unseen forces, and both girls looked around confused until they spied Magneto by the door, his hand raised as he used his magnetic abilities to drag Wanda away.

"I've warned you once already," said Magneto, his anger apparent. "Do _not _make me warn you again."

"But she-"

"She has done _nothing_ wrong," Magneto remarked.

"She's trying to take him from me!"

"He is not yours any more."

Rogue hugged herself insecurely, watching as Magneto pulled his daughter towards the door using his powers, Wanda struggled violently against the powers, the lights flickering, one of them popping.

_This place must go through a hundred light fixings a week,_ Rogue thought dully.

"Calm down," her father commanded.

"She's sleeping with him!"

"Wanda-"

The hatch to the kitchen which had been opened clattered shut with a furious bang, and one of the tables fell apart. Wanda struggled still with her father, her fury growing. Magneto set her just a foot or two away from him.

"You like _sharing her_, is that it? Is that what you're into?" Wanda goaded her father on, smirking, her eyes full of feverish lunacy. "Or maybe it's _him_ you want too, all together, all three of you-"

Rogue couldn't have been more stunned when Magneto slapped his daughter. Putting her hand to her mouth, Rogue just stood there in the dim light, gaping. Even Magneto seemed shocked he'd done this.

Wanda's eyes teared up, and her face seemed to quiver. It must have been a hard slap, because even from where she stood and even with the dim lighting, Rogue could _see_ the red mark his hand had left upon her. Rogue had never agreed upon parents hitting their children, and even after all that had happened, she still found it a harsh reaction.

"I think it's time I made that call," Magneto said quietly, he clenched the fist that had just slapped her, apparently it was smarting.

"No...please..." Wanda suddenly begged, the tears spilling down her cheeks like fine rivers.

Rogue moved to the wall and began to side step slowly towards the door, hoping neither of them were going to stop her, that she'd go unnoticed.

"You've gone on too long like this, you clearly cannot _function_ here. I've given you chance after chance, I have let things slide hoping you would find a way to cope...but clearly you cannot-"

"Please, don't send me away...not there..." Wanda begged louder, now howling in despair.

Rogue almost felt compelled to feel sorry for her. As much as she wanted to be _angry_ with her, she was also horribly aware this girl was suffering terribly in her head. It was hard feeling pity for someone she hated so much, but Rogue allowed herself to feel it, because she was sure almost no one else would.

Wanda fell to her knees and sobbed hysterically, curling up into a ball. And Rogue was stunned that Magneto did not attempt to console her, to comfort his child in any way. Didn't he feel for her? Didn't he _hurt _to see his child in pain?

_How can he just stand there and not hug her and tell her she'll be all right? She's still his _baby,_ she's still his little girl...he used to care about her once..._

Rogue and Magneto exchanged glances, he looked so dark and unhappy, and in his eyes there was despair too. He was _very_ close to breaking point with this girl. Rogue wanted to suggest to him right then he pick his daughter up and hold her, but the words wouldn't come.

"P-please don't s-s-send me away," Wanda sobbed, pulling herself to her father's legs and holding on for dear life, her tears staining his dark grey pants.

_Perhaps it's just an act,_ wondered Rogue. It could have been that the girl knew how to push her father's buttons. Maybe that was why Magneto was so apt to just stand there and let her sob her heart out. Maybe she'd done this before...maybe this was _always_ what happened?

Magneto shook his daughter off and stepped back from her, and Rogue felt shivers down her spine at this coldness. Despite what this girl had done to Remy, despite what this girl had just _tried_ to do to her...Rogue felt sorry for her. She hated to feel that way but she couldn't help it. That girl _needed_ her father, and he was turning her away. It hurt to watch and she couldn't stand it.

Rogue sighed and swiftly moved to kneel beside Wanda, tentatively she touched the girl's back with her gloved hand, aware Magneto disapproved.

Before she had realised what was happening, Wanda had thrown herself into her arms and was sobbing against her chest pitifully like a toddler with a bruised knee. It was then that Rogue wondered if perhaps Wanda had never quite grown up properly, and hadn't fully reached adulthood in her mind. Although she'd been promiscuous with Remy (and apparently many others), it seemed she was still somehow a little girl. She wasn't capable of handling emotion well.

Sighing, Rogue looked up at her boss, whilst Wanda sobbed floods of tears on the front of Remy LeBeau's long-sleeved t-shirt. Magneto said nothing, but simply turned and walked away, looking frustrated and upset with himself. Rogue shook her head in disgust with him.

_You cold hearted son of a bitch,_ she thought angrily at him.

After a few moments, Rogue pulled herself up with some difficulty, as Wanda seemed reluctant to let her go regardless of their previous conflict. "Come on, lets get you to your room..."

Wanda stumbled weakly, still half sobbing, face a mess of running makeup and smeared eyeliner and lipstick. She spied Remy glancing over from the rail leading from the living room area, his expression dark, but curious. He looked half doped up and Rogue wondered if he'd taken something for his pain. She silently ignored him for the moment, and focused on getting Wanda out of the sight of everyone before anyone else saw this. Being humiliated was going to do nothing for Wanda's mental health right now.

Rogue had never been in Wanda's bedroom before and it was an oddly strange experience to be _allowed _within. The brick walls were painted a mix of black and red, a messy half-assed attempt at making the room look better that hadn't worked very well. They moved to the bed and she sat Wanda down slowly and went to look for something for the girl to wipe her face, eventually finding a box of cleansing wipes on the small dresser.

"Here," said Rogue.

Feebly, the girl wiped at her tears and dirty face, her eyes puffy and red, her mouth still trembling. Rogue stood awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do, not knowing if it was safe to leave the girl alone or not. Would she harm herself? She didn't seem to be in the best frame of mind to be alone right now.

_What do Ah say to her? She hates me either way...whatever Ah say is gonna be attacked,_ Rogue thought frustratedly.

Wanda sniffled, and wiped under her eyes, her hands trembling, "why doesn't he love me?" she stammered unhappily whilst trying to get the makeup away and making an even bigger mess of it.

Rogue grabbed another handful of the wipes, "Remy?" she asked, hoping she wasn't really going to have to answer that. The answers were painfully obvious and she didn't want to be the one to tell her. She didn't like the girl, but she didn't want to be the one to destroy her either.

"_My father_," Wanda sobbed, she lowered her head and put her hands to her face, her sobs were even more pathetic and harder than before.

This was a nightmare, Rogue wasn't sure how to handle this. She'd never been good at comforting people or knowing what the right thing to say was. She knelt down slowly in front of the girl, reached up and removed her hands from her face and used one of the wipes to start clearing away the mess of makeup that the tears had created.

"It's not his fault. He's as messed up as everyone else here," Rogue supposed. "And he does love you. If he didn't...he'd have put you back in that place a long time ago..."

"He's going to now," Wanda despaired, her eyes feverish and frantic, "they're probably already coming...they'll put me in a dark room...with no doors...no windows..." she put her hands in her hair, her expression wild, her breathing quickened.

"Calm down..." Rogue stopped. "Where are your meds?"

Wanda shakily gestured to the cabinet beside her bed, her body trembling as she began to hyperventilate. Rogue checked through the bottles, not sure what was for what, really. "There's some...pretty heavy stuff here..." she recognised some of the names, almost every bottle was an anti-psychotic medication. Rogue had known the girl had problems, had known the girl was mentally ill, but had never realised it was to _this_ extent.

Wanda gave a vague nod, her breathing still fast.

"Calm down, okay?" Rogue said gently, "does anything in here treat anxiety?"

"Ola-ola-" Wanda tried, breathless.

"Olanzapine?" Rogue asked, retrieving the box, she popped two out of the packet within and grabbed the can of coke that was sitting on the top of the cabinet, "think you can take these without choking?"

Wanda accepted the pills and drank the coke down, spilling half of it down herself in her attempt to hold the can with trembling seemingly numb hands.

"Come on, keep calm, just breathe, it'll be over soon," Rogue promised, not one hundred percent sure it _would_ be.

_Once she comes to her senses, she's going to kill me,_ thought Rogue. Carefully she sat upon the bed, running her gloves curiously over the faux fur blanket. _Maybe she really _does_ need to be put back away,_ Rogue pondered. But how much treatment would the girl get? _Locked away from society and pumped full of drugs...that's all they could do for her,_ thought Rogue.

She picked up more of the cleansing wipes and cleaned the girl's face up as best she could, wondering when Wanda would finally push her away. She kept waiting for Remy to be brought up, to be told to stay away from him. That too, didn't occur.

And then Wanda did something rather peculiar. Something that completely dismayed Rogue and nearly caused her to panic herself. While Rogue had been focusing on trying to clear the smudged mascara away – which the cleansing wipes were doing a poor job of removing – she felt Wanda's hand suddenly, without reason, slide between her legs, push up her skirt hastily and touch her between her legs. It wasn't even a _tentative_ touch, it was fast, almost rough and desperate. Wanda's fingers had almost seemed to be determined to push into her, to break through the thick denier of her tights and the cotton of her underwear. She'd almost pushed Rogue's underwear part of the way inside of her with the roughness of that touch, and Rogue felt her stomach flip.

Gasping, Rogue broke away quickly, eyes wide in shock, her mouth hanging open, "what the-"

Wanda's expression was guilty and lost, her eyes seemed to be searching Rogue's.

_Oh my god, this girl is fucking nuts, _Rogue gaped at Wanda, completely in shock. She put her hand to her mouth, staring down at her.

"I could give you things no one can," Wanda said, her voice almost soft, "You want that, don't you?"

"Wanda...I'm not gay...or...lesbian...or...whatever it is you think I am..." Rogue shook her head, "only twenty minutes ago...you accused me of sleeping with your dad...now you're-"

"Don't you want me?" Wanda asked, pulling the front zip of her corset down to reveal more of her cleavage.

Rogue turned away, putting her hand to the side of her face, "oh my god," she said under her breath, "Wanda...stop...seriously..."

T_his is what Remy was talking about...she keeps going to this sex thing like it's all she knows...like it's the only thing she can do to be around anyone..._

Sobbing again, Wanda demanded, "why does no one want me?!"

Rogue thought it odd she'd asked the same question of Magneto not too long ago. Suddenly she felt a connection to the girl that had never been there. She understood all too well how the girl felt. "Ah'm...Ah'm sorry..." Rogue shook her head, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, "Ah don't...like you that way..."

"What if it was the three of us...me...and you...and Remy...what then..."

"Are you listenin' to yourself?" Rogue asked in disgust, "Wanda...we don't...want...to have sex with you..."

Wanda's tears continued, her hands to her face.

"Ah think maybe you need to rest..." Rogue suggested gently, she moved and pushed the girl's shoulder to make her lie down on her side, and she pulled the edge of the blanket to cover her. "Just rest...you'll feel better when you wake up..."

Continuing to sob into her pillow, Wanda pulled the blanket over her head, and Rogue headed for the door. She decided to leave it open. That way at least someone could _hear_ if anything happened, or if the girl decided to try to harm herself.

Remy was standing at the bottom of the stairs leading from the living room area, his expression very confused and concerned.

Rogue shook her head at him, now was not the time to talk, and she headed for Magneto's office, giving a brief knock before entering. She closed the door behind herself and got ready to speak but she found that Magneto was already on the phone, sitting at his desk, speaking to _someone._

_ He's already making _arrangements_ for her,_ Rogue thought in disgust. _He can't wait to be rid of her!_

_ "_As soon as possible," said Magneto coldly to whomever was on the line. "I don't care, I've paid to have that cell on standby."

"Hang up," Rogue commanded, but he was ignoring her.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down-" Magneto responded to the person on the other end after a moment.

Rogue moved swiftly to the desk and took the phone from him, hanging it up.

His eyes were bright with fury at this bold move.

"Don't do this to her," Rogue held the phone away from him as he reached out to try to grab it back. "She can't take it."

"Don't you dare try to-"

"She thinks you don't _love_ her!"

He squinted at her.

"She's _broken,_ and putting her in a padded cell and pumping her full of drugs and god knows what else isn't going to fix her!" Rogue yelled. "She just tried to..." she put her hand behind her neck, she wasn't sure how to explain what Wanda had just _tried_ to do with her.

"To what? Kill you?" Magneto pointed out, "I did stop her," he reminded.

"No..." Rogue shook her head, "She tried to...no...she did...touch me...she put her hand up my skirt..."

His face fell, it didn't seem he could become any paler, but his pallor almost matched the silver white of his hair. "She...what?"

"She offered me sex. She didn't care that she hated me...or that she was about to punch me only half an hour ago...she just put her hand up my skirt, and tried to proposition me..."

"I..." Magneto's face was a mix of emotional pain and distress. He had not expected this.

"After what she did to Remy-"

"I've talked with her about the injuries she caused-"

"No..." Rogue shook her head, "this isn't about the injuries..."

"Then-"

"This is about her essentially _raping_ him."

"Pardon?"

"She _waited_ until he was sleeping, and then did what she wanted with him. He woke up and said stop, and guess what, she _didn't_."

Magneto stood up and paced, his hand over his mouth. Eventually after a moment, he spoke. "He never...told me."

"He didn't want to," Rogue folded her arms, she felt horrible for revealing Remy's terrible secret to the man, but she felt it had to be said. It was the only way the man was going to see the severity of this problem. "Remy is a resilient guy," she pointed out, "he takes _everything_ that happens to him and deals with it. Some people would be devastated, he took it in his stride. But what if he _hadn't_? What if he wasn't as strong as he is? You know how somethin' like that can _destroy_ someone?"

Magneto's eyes softened for a moment as he stared into space. "This kind of thing only _confirms_ that I should send her away."

"And you think that'll _help!? _You think it won't continue when she's away and she has male orderlies and doctors handling her?!" Rogue demanded.

"What else can I do?!" Magneto demanded, "Other than keep her permanently sedated there is very _little_ I can do for her right now!"

Unfortunately this was very true. Rogue realised it just by looking at the frantic look in the man's eyes. He was lost for a solution. Putting her away had been the last resort he'd been holding back from.

"Why didn't you hold her?" Rogue asked softly, "she needs you...she needed you right then...and you just...you moved away."

His expression was sad as he looked away from her, he pursed his lips. "That's none of your concern," he said quickly, which only confirmed Rogue's suspicions that there _was _a reason.

Before Rogue could press the issue further, there was a knock at the office door.

Magneto composed himself, and responded, "Come in."

"What's going on?" Pietro asked, stepping into the office, "Wanda is in bed crying hysterically...I've never seen her that bad before...she won't even speak to me..."

It seemed Magneto had been hoping whomever had knocked was going to change the subject entirely but no such luck here for him today. Rogue gestured for Pietro to come in all the way and she pushed the door shut as he did.

Pietro was thoroughly confused, "what's happened?"

"Wanda has-" Magneto paused, trying to find the words.

"She went psycho again?" Pietro asked rolling his eyes. "What else is new?"

"She is not well," Magneto reminded.

"Yeah, I know," Pietro made a face. "But she won't even _speak_...not even to tell me to _go. _She's in hysterics..."

"Leave her be," Magneto commanded carefully.

Pietro seemed slightly bothered, "just leave her alone? Just _leave_ her like that?"

"Yes. Let her cry it out."

"I...I've never seen her like that, though..." Pietro tried.

"I said leave her," Magneto reiterated.

Pietro seemed almost disgusted, and with that he shook his head and left the room without another word.

Rogue felt there was more to Pietro's response, and after he left the room, she turned back to Magneto and sighed, "Ah have studying to do...lots to get through...but please...just...think about not sendin' her away just yet..."

"I..." Magneto paused and sighed, "fine, I shall _reconsider_ for the time being. But you do realise that her being here may complicate things for you?"

"Ah know," Rogue realised she sighed, "but...she's in pain...and...Ah can't bear the thought of her bein' in more..." she headed out the door. _Even if it means Ah'm probably gonna be in pain myself eventually. God, Remy is gonna hate me for this..._

She turned almost ready to head to her room, when she bumped straight into Pietro who had been standing waiting there as if he'd been hanging back for her.

"Whoah, sorry..." she said, blinking.

"Rogue...what was all that about?" Pietro asked under his breath, "why's my dad look that...messed up way?"

Rogue pondered this, he _did_ look more off than usual. "Ah...don't know...hey, can Ah ask something?" she asked quietly in a whisper.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Why does your dad not want to hug Wanda?"

Pietro's face became very dark, his blue eyes were intense. Despite he obviously knew more, he shrugged and said "no idea. Not a clue. I need to go, got stuff to do."

And with that, the boy was gone in a flash.

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-One**

* * *

Thanks to those who've taken the time to review and share their thoughts and feelings about the story. I do hope that I haven't lost too many readers over the dark and mature subject matter (sometimes I wish I could just write fluff and be able to keep people happy, but for some reason, it never works out that way, lol). Hope you're all enjoying what's down so far. I can't wait to get more of it up soon :)


	32. MagneticAttractionPart32

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Two**

* * *

**** Authors Note: Mature themes of sex ahead. ****

* * *

Remy waited until he was _sure_ Wanda had cried herself to sleep before he went to find Rogue. He'd been able to hear Wanda's sobbing, and he'd kept his distance until the sound ceased, and no more sounds came from her bedroom. That was when he crept up the back stairs of the warehouse to slip into Rogue's room.

Rogue was sitting folded legged on her bed, books all around her, and she was writing what appeared to be some kind of essay. Remy stood for a moment at the door, unnoticed, as she listened to the music on her mp3 player completely oblivious to him, and it seemed, the rest of the world.

She looked so deep in thought as she sat there, writing, her expression so focused, the beat from her music just barely audible. For several moments he watched her, standing there in his painkiller induced haze her until she finally raised her eyes to him, nearly jumping out of her skin, startled by his presence.

"What the fuck-" she caught herself and sighed, "how long have you been standing there?" she demanded as she yanked her earbuds out.

"Long enough," he said quietly, he stood with his back against the bedroom door, staring across at her.

"What do you want?" she asked, her attitude slightly cold towards him. His suggestion that she _forget everything,_ delivered by Piotr apparently hadn't sat well. He supposed he couldn't blame her.

"What happened with Wanda?"

"Doesn't matter," Rogue closed her workbook and began putting her books away, her expression.

"You're mad," he said knowingly, he moved to the bed and sat upon the edge to stare across at her.

"You're high," she noted, "I can see it in that dopey look upon your face."

"Did you know Magneto can write prescriptions? I had _no_ idea," Remy gave a vague laugh, "got me vicodin, for the pain..." he gestured to his arm.

Rogue dropped her eyes back down to her pile of books, but said nothing.

"Feelin' a little dizzy," he confessed.

"If you expect me to take care of you..." Rogue got up and moved the books to her bag, "you can forget it."

"I can take care of myself," he reminded, his memory clouded momentarily and he tried to remember why he'd come to the room at all. It took a moment, "why'd Wanda have a meltdown?"

"You tell me what happened," Rogue gestured to his arm as she made her way back to the bed.

"What you think happened? She attacked me..." Remy touched the cast unhappily.

"She broke your arm?"

"Wrist. And put out a cigarette in the back of my neck..." he turned to show her the dressing Magneto had covered it with.

"Oh my god," Rogue gave a whisper.

"It's fine...barely feel it right now..." he turned back to her, trying to focus. He felt incredibly groggy, "why was she cryin'?"

"Ah'd rather not talk about it," Rogue pulled her knees up to her chest, "the whole day has been a complete disaster."

"Yeah..." he rubbed his head, trying to think straight. He agreed, it definitely _had_ been.

"Should you even _be_ here?" Rogue asked pointedly.

"Hmm?"

"You wanted me to _disregard_ everythin'," she reminded, "so Ah _assumed_ you were gonna go back to her. Again. Or that last night you were just fucking with me."

"No," he shook his head, "Look...I just...I panicked. She said she was gonna hurt you..." he tried to explain.

"She nearly did," Rogue replied quietly. "And then Magneto hit her."

Remy blinked, not sure if he had heard correctly. "He...what?"

_He finally snapped. It was bound to happen eventually,_ Remy realised.

"She was gonna attack me, and she started getting mouthy with him..._really_ gross stuff...and he hit her."

"What gross stuff..."

"She made some...really...fucked up comment about how me and you and him would have this fucked up threesome or something, Ah don't know...it was bizarre. Then he threatened to take her to the asylum, and...she lost it, sobbin' on the floor, breakin' her heart, beggin'..."

Remy listened closely, trying to focus. _Least he finally gave a reaction,_ Remy thought gladly.

"He wouldn't even _hold _her. She wanted him to, Ah could tell, but...he just walked away."

Remy stared down at his cast absently, listening.

"She's...really a loose cannon," Rogue admitted. "She...jesus, I don't know..." she shook her head in disgrace.

Raising his eyes to her, he asked, "she did somethin' else?" he asked, picking up on the fact there seemed to be something else.

"Ah...don't know...just...somethin' stupid."

"What?"

"She tried to...touch me...Ah don't mean initiate my powers, but..."

"But?"

Rogue drew her breath, seeming quite uneasy, "she tried to..." she gritted her teeth, "it was like she was _tryin'_ to start somethin' sexual. It was really fuckin' weird...and kind of sick..."

While he was somewhat surprised that Wanda had tried to initiate something with Rogue, at the same time he _wasn't_ remotely surprised. Remy snorted, "see...the girl is fucked up. I told you..."

"And when I told her no...she started cryin' again, goin' on about how no one wants her."

"I don't think that girl knows how to be with anyone if it ain't about sex," Remy admitted, "startin' to wonder if maybe that's why Magneto can't bear to even go near her."

"What are you sayin'?" Rogue asked curiously, eyes squinting at him.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm out of _line _with this assumption...but...sometimes I wonder if she's tried to push boundaries with him...Pietro too. They all used to be kind of closer but...then then they started avoiding her, you know? Don't want to be near her anymore...never in the same room alone, stuff like that..."

Rogue sighed, "Ah was startin' to think that might be the case. Ah didn't want it to be true but...after what she did to you...and then to me..."

"Wait, she _did?_ You said she _tried_, you didn't say she _did..."_ he squinted, "W_hat_ exactly happened?"

"She tried to touch me, Ah told you..."

"Tried, or _did_?"

Rogue's face went scarlet, she looked away, pursing her lips tight.

"Rogue?"

"She put her hand up my skirt...and tried to...you know?"

"Jesus," Remy uttered. The thought that Wanda had taken that liberty definitely made him want to smack the girl himself.

"Ah moved away, Ah didn't, you know, _let_ her. Ah don't swing that way, you know that."

"I know," he said quietly. He didn't like the idea of Wanda trying to touch Rogue. He wondered if perhaps it'd been desperation, any remote attraction or perhaps just an attempt to get to him. Taking the girl he cared about away from him was definitely going to get his attention and Wanda was likely to know that. _Maybe you're getting too full of yourself here? Maybe Wanda does swing that way more than you thought?_

"So he's gonna send her back to the asylum?" Remy asked hopefully.

"No," Rogue shook her head, "Ah told him not to."

"You did? Why? Why would you do that?!" Remy suddenly demanded. He couldn't believe this...he'd been so close to being shot of the girl.

"Because Ah think she needs help, Remy. Ah don't like her, but Ah know she's sufferin' and...maybe there's some way we can help her...?"

"Rogue...are you hearing yourself? You know what she did...how can you expect me to forgive that?"

"Ah'm not askin' you to forgive her, or even really _do_ anything. But you said it yourself, you _know_ she's mentally ill, she can't control what she's doing..."

"What if she can? What if she's just manipulating us all..."

"Remy, Ah saw the pain in her eyes, Ah _know_ what that feels like...when you feel so _alone_ and no one wants you..."

"But you _are_ wanted," Remy reminded.

"Maybe now," Rogue sighed, "but...not always...bein' used by people, bein' alone all the time, never bein' able to connect...it does things to your head..." Rogue explained quietly. "Ah still have those feelin's even now...Ah'm hopin' they'll go away once Ah've gone through the evolution process. But for Wanda...they won't until somethin' is done to help her properly," Rogue shook her head.

Remy suddenly remembered _why_ he'd wanted to speak with Rogue, trying to clear his mind as much as he could he reached across and grabbed her arms and shook her, "you _can't_ go through with that procedure."

"Huh?"

"Rogue, promise me..."

"But...why?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet? Magneto is _using_ you. This machine isn't being built for you...it's being built to help _Wanda. _You're the fucking test subject...he's going to use _you _as the experiment to make sure it works."

Rogue stared at him blankly, she seemed to be trying to process all of this information somehow.

"Rogue, promise me you _won't_ go through with this."

Rogue shook her head, "But...Ah knew this..."

"Huh?" he blinked at her.

"Ah _knew_ Ah was going to be testing the machine, Ah _knew_ Ah would be the first to use it, he told me there would be _no_ guarantees..." Rogue moved back from him, "Ah'm not changin' anything just because the intention for the machine has been for Wanda all along...nothin' has changed. Ah came to _him_, he didn't come to _me._"

"But...he deceived you..." Remy spoke up, feeling quite hurt that she wouldn't even consider taking his advice.

"He's been straight with me from the start..." Rogue responded, "Ah know what Ah'm gettin' into here..."

"But-"

"We could be _together_, Remy..."

He shook his head, "don't try to sway me with promises of sex, Chere. You mean more to me than that..."

"Ah'm not just _talkin'_ about that," Rogue spoke up, "Ah'm talkin' about Wanda...Ah go first, and prove the machine works...he'll _use _the machine on Wanda and she'll get _better_. Maybe then she'll be at peace, she'll let _us_ be at peace...and be together."

"And what if it does the opposite, what if it drives her to complete insanity?"

Rogue refused to believe this, "no...that's not how it'll work. It _will_ work with her, Remy...it has to. Magneto wouldn't _put_ her through it unless he was sure. She's his _daughter..."_

Remy looked at her, "you're that willing to make this sacrifice for _her_?"

"No," Rogue shook her head, "Ah'm makin' a sacrifice for _me._ But if Ah can help her too...then..."

"Even after what she did?"

"What if it'd been you?" Rogue asked softly.

He frowned, "how so?"

"If your powers drove you to do despicable things that you couldn't control, drove you absolute madness..." Rogue continued, her voice low and gentle, "wouldn't you want _someone_ to give you the chance to turn it around?"

Remy wasn't sure it applied. He was logical enough to understand that Wanda's behaviour was not completely all her own doing, but the bitter part of him was unwilling to forgive enough to even stand by Rogue and let her do this.

"I get...that it's not her fault, I've admitted it..." he responded, "but...how can I stand by and let you do this? She _violated _me...she violated _you_..."

"She put her hand up my skirt, it was hardly violation," Rogue responded, trying to be reasonable.

He looked at Rogue and tried to reason why she would do this. Why she was relating to this girl and her problems. "Did you like it?" he asked carefully.

"Did Ah like _what_?" Rogue blinked.

"When she put her hand up your skirt."

"No..." she made a face.

"Did you want her to do it?"

"Don't be stupid," Rogue rolled her eyes at him.

"Did you _want_ her to touch you?"

"No," Rogue said again.

"Then you were violated. She crossed a line."

"The girl is in mental pain...she clearly thinks the only way to get _comfort_ is...sex."

"It's the only way she knows how to be around people," Remy agreed with this. "But still...regardless...I can't agree on this Rogue. I don't want you doin' this. I can't sit back and just let you go through that in the name of somethin' that _may_ work for both of you. And I certainly don't think Magneto has the right to sacrifice _you _in the way he plans to."

"Ah _offered_ myself. This is a mutual thing. Ah'm not a lamb for the slaughter," Rogue explained. "Ah'm gonna do this with or without your permission. Ah don't need your blessing or your support."

He sighed.

"You said you thought you were fallin' for me..." she reminded.

"Yeah..." he said sadly, the truth of the words hurt in ways he couldn't explain.

"If it's true...if you really meant it...then...wouldn't you want more?" she moved closer tentatively.

He watched her, "I'm not gonna _deny_ there's more I'd want..." he admitted carefully. "But...I can be patient."

"You could have _everythin' _you want..." Rogue promised. "No patience required..."

"And what about what you want?" he asked. "What is it you want?"

"To feel the same things Ah felt the night you came home drunk..."

He frowned, "I have no idea what I did that night...and you never told me exactly what happened..." he reminded.

She drew her breath, "it was like last night...but...different..."

"How...different?" he asked under his breath, leaning slightly closer to look her in the eyes, "did I-?"

"You blacked out," she said quietly. "It was barely seconds...but..."

"But?"

"Ah felt you...and...it was...sort of...intense..."

He gave a brief unhappy laugh, it seemed quite _unfair_ that she had seemed to have enjoyed whatever it was he'd done and he couldn't even _remember _the incident. "Rubbed you up the right way sounds like..."

Her cheeks grew pink.

"Yet, you didn't want me last night..." he pointed out.

"You weren't right last night, you were all off...Ah saw it in your face..."

"I was clear headed. I knew what I was doin'. Fully aware of my actions, chere."

"But you weren't-" she tried to say, it seemed she was still quite too innocent to speak candidly about sex the way he could.

"Hard?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her cheeks seemed to bloom like two red roses.

"You can say it, chere. I'm a big boy, I can handle the words. I'm not gonna be offended if you point out I couldn't get it up."

"Ah didn't say you _couldn't. _But from what Ah've heard, guys don't like any kind of suggestion they aren't...capable...of it._"_

"That wasn't a regular occurrence," he assured, he still felt incredibly disappointed in himself he hadn't been able to at that moment, as if definitely might have made her night. She'd _wanted _an experience and he'd let her down. "Think it was the idea of you and _him_ together that pretty much ruined it."

"You said you just wanted to be close..."

"And _you_ said you wanted an experience," he pointed out, "somethin' you could call your own."

"How can you be so...so...casual about this after what Wanda did?" Rogue asked worriedly. "Doesn't even _talking _about this bother you?"

"Am I bothered about it? Sure, kind of," he shrugged.

_"Kind of?"_ she asked incredulously.

"Yes. Kind of," he answered. He wasn't sure how to explain that he wasn't _about_ to let Wanda's world of crazy stop him from feeling how he felt. _Should this be weirder? Should I be more bothered? _

Rogue chewed her lip.

"Last night, I started what I did because you gave me an _openin'. _Sayin' you wanted an experience was the opportunity I needed. Before it happened I wasn't sure you were even _gonna _let me near you...I wasn't even sure if you felt _anythin'_ for me, and after you got so mad at me I wasn't sure I'd ever find out. I had to know..."

"You had to know what?"

"What it'd be like to be with someone I actually _cared_ about..." he explained, he placed his hand on her knee, "to feel somethin' emotional as well as just physical. To see if it _is_ the bliss it's been in the dreams I've had about you..."

Her eyes followed his hand as he drove it further up her leg, she seemed conflicted about this. Was it too soon following what Wanda had done? She didn't seem to feel too badly about it.

_Sex is what keeps getting you in to trouble, so what are you doing?_ He asked of himself, watching his own hand as he moved it to the inside of her thigh. He swallowed hard, already the yearning causing that painful aching that he always found hard to fight. _Maybe this is the right thing though...maybe it gives her a chance to see she doesn't need to go through with forced evolution to be with a guy._

Worriedly, Rogue stopped his hand swiftly. She had caught _something _in his expression and picked up on it immediately. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He gave a smirk, "gettin' there..."

"Huh?"

"Feel..." he urged, he took her hand and placed it upon his groin and closed his eyes. At her touch he breathed in through his nose, trying to ignore how tense and unsure he could tell she was just by the way she held onto the growing bulge in his jeans. "See...I'm fine..." he breathed. "Better...than fine," he stared across at her again, examining the very confused look on her face.

"Oh..." she breathed, her lip trembling a little.

"So you see..." he drew his breath deeply, "ain't nothin' wrong with me...I'm _very_ okay..." he squeezed her hand a little, trying to burn the memory of that touch into his memory. He never wanted to forget it. He wanted that memory to replace everything Wanda had ever done to him.

"Ah...Ah don't know what to do for you," she admitted shyly, her hand staying still within his.

"You don't _need_ to do anythin'..." he assured.

Rogue paused, her expression conflicted, and then she asked "What if Ah wanted to?" while looking at him from beneath the hair that had fallen over her face.

He stared across at her, unsure if she were trying to appease him or if this was one of those _experiences_ she wanted so badly. He wasn't sure if he minded either way as long as it was something she wanted to do and not something she felt she _had_ to do. He took his hand away from hers so that it wasn't holding her to him any more and he leaned back a little, trying to keep the pressure off of his broken wrist. He kept his eyes on hers all the while, wondering if his expression spoke volumes. She had his permission. Hell...she wasn't Wanda...she didn't _need_ the permission.

_Certainly could use the distraction right about now,_ he thought. What the vicodin _couldn't_ do, perhaps she _could._

Rogue moved slightly closer, her body stiff and expression intensely embarrassed. He let his eyes fall down to his groin as she fumbled feebly with the buckle of his belt first, and then the buttons of his fly. He felt the hazy waves of the Vicodin in his system and the hot pulsing of his urge clouding him over.

Slightly unsure, Rogue stopped at the last button of his fly, and she seemed hesitant, an internal conflict going on, as if she weren't sure she _should_ go further, or if she weren't sure she had the _guts_ to do so. Was she waiting for instructions or a go ahead?

Normally, he was more comfortable with himself in these situations, but with Rogue it felt different. She was _pure. _ Somehow, it only made him feel ever so self-conscious and aware of his sexuality now.

_She's never seen a man naked before,_ he reminded himself. _She's never touched a man, never explored those feelings. This is unfamiliar territory for her...you have to be so, so careful. Maybe we should hold off? Or maybe this...is right. Doesn't really _feel _wrong. If she thought this was wrong, she'd push me away, like she did last night. It can't be wrong...she wants this doesn't she?_

The look on her face told him that she just might. But if this were to happen, he realised with some trepidation he was going to have to guide her through the process; he couldn't just take himself out and expect her to know exactly what to do. There was only so much television and books could tell her.

Deciding to take a bold move, he opted to give himself a little more time. Feeling still quite relaxed and loose from the painkillers, he leaned back a little more against the bed, propping himself on his elbow and letting his casted arm lie upon a throw pillow to keep the pressure off of it, with his other hand he pushed his fingers down into his jeans and past his underwear and fondled himself beneath the cloth for a moment to help himself along, very aware of her eyes watching with the kind of absurd fascination only a pure virgin could have.

He wondered if she was disgusted, or if she was aroused. It could have been both. She was so hard to read sometimes, and that was part of what he found so incredibly appealing about her. _She hasn't told me to stop or anything. So far, so good._

As he stroked himself, he tried to refrain from moaning, not wanting to seem too forward. She was going to be embarrassed enough with this and one wrong thing could completely ruin it, or make it seem almost comical. When he was completely erect and confident she was ready to see him, he released himself from the confines of his pants and let her look at him. He couldn't help feeling some private amusement as her face turned scarlet and her eyes averted almost instantly.

He thought it adorable how embarrassed she was, and how very attractive she was when her face flushed in that way, and her eyes struggled to remain focused far from him. Remy stroked himself a little more for her benefit, trying to picture she was the one doing it for him. Right now, with her in front of him, wearing his shirt and so close to his naked flesh, that wasn't too hard to imagine.

"If you want me to stop-" he began, "just say..." he urged. "We don't have to do anythin'..."

She shook her head very timidly, her eyes still away from him.

"Look at me, chere...it's just skin, that's all, it's _natural...it's normal_..."

Her eyes slowly moved to stare at the swollen member, and her colour became even more crimson than before, her lips quivered, her breath came out a trembling mess.

_Is this what you meant by experience? _He wondered at her, he reached out his hand towards her and held it open, waiting for her to offer him hers. He was thankful when she, after a moment of serious contemplation, finally put her hand in his and her eyes averted again as he guided it towards him and wrapped it around him carefully. The cold leather of her gloves was a little startling at first and made him breathe in sharply. He moved her hand up and down slowly, giving her time to adjust to the idea.

He felt the tremble of her hand, but it only seemed to add to the excitement of it. Her inexperience was a turn on, and he had to try to focus before it drove him too close to the edge sooner than he would like. He wanted to hold onto the feeling, savour it. The first time between them would _only_ ever happen once, it could never be relived. That was the feeling he'd always heard the virgins talk about...how the first experience would be the most memorable.

Tentatively he released her hand, and let her take complete control. Her rhythm was poor and unsteady, but satisfying enough considering her complete lack of sexual experience. He withheld his need to moan, afraid it might upset her, disturb her, turn her off and make her shy away. Instead, he breathed in and out steadily, trying to last as long as he possibly could. As clumsy as this felt, he was getting so very close far too quickly and as her rhythm began to slightly improve, the pleasure began to grow very intense. He was struggling to keep himself from climaxing now, each stroke took him a step closer to the edge of a precipice he would _never _be able to turn away from.

_Didn't expect to get this close so fast,_ he thought with some anxiety. He'd never expected that the inexperience was going to be so exciting, so...stimulating. He had to keep his eyes closed, try to focus on lasting. _For gods sake, don't let go too fast. Try to hold on,_ he commanded himself.

"That's it..." he whispered, his breathing quickening, "that's it..."

Her grip tightened a little, the pace increased, she seemed to take to it instinctively, following the sound of his breathing, the expressions on his face. He gave her every indication she was doing exactly what he wanted. He wanted to _beg_ that she slow down, it was far too intense. He didn't want it to be over just yet, but there was very little choice in the matter. _She_ was in control, not him. He gave her the power he _refused_ to let Wanda have.

And then it was over, the tension came and then the release; he couldn't withhold the staggered moan that came with it as his seed flowed. Poor Rogue seemed almost confused for a moment, moving back a little, stopping midway as his seed spilled onto her black glove. He wondered if she hadn't expected the eventual outcome; surely she'd realised what would happen in the end? She briefly wiped one rogue spot from her knee; her expression was almost priceless.

_Wasn't exactly the most romantic way to end the first encounter,_ he thought regretfully as he reached over to her box of makeup cleasing wipes from the box on her dresser and wiped himself off, immediately regretting not checking to see if this would sting or not. When it did sting, he simply remained silent and waited it out as _stoically _as he possibly could as she followed suit to use a wipe to clean what was left of his passion on her glove.

She said nothing, and it seemed she didn't know if there _should_ be anything said. He wanted her to speak, but he wasn't sure what he expected her to say. He broke the slightly awkward silence by asking, "are...you all right?" as he put himself away.

"Uh huh..." she responded, she tossed the wipe into the trash by the bed and used her other hand to tuck her hair behind her ear.

"Was...it not what you were expecting?" he asked, being able to read her expression that there was something disappointed in her gaze.

She didn't seem how to respond to this.

"Not quite the experience you wanted...was it...?" he realised. "I...didn't last long enough..."

"It wasn't that," Rogue said after a moment, her expression soft.

He reached over to brush her hair from her cheek, making sure to be careful near her skin. "I'm sorry, chere...it wasn't meant to be like that...I didn't want it to seem so...tawdry..."

"It was fine," she assured, "Ah just...wanted to be able to _feel_ you..."

_That's what's wrong? That she couldn't feel my skin?_ He wondered. He was unsure what difference it might have made. At least in this instance.

"Some day you will..." he promised, and he pushed himself onto his knee and leaned over her, putting his hand upon her shoulder and pushing her back against the pillows. "Some day...you'll feel everythin'...every little touch...every little kiss..."

She stared up at him, trembling again, her hands nervously finding his waist.

"I'm gonna be bold and ask you somethin'...'cause at this point, after what you just did for me...I don't think we should be shy about this anymore..." he stared down at her green eyes, how soft they gazed back at him with fear and unsure lust." Carefully, he nudged her legs apart with the elbow of his injured arm, "I'd really just like to...establish what's what, you know?"

She drew her breath, "okay..." she responded in a tiny voice.

"Tell me, chere..." he leaned near her ear and murmured, "you ever play with yourself?"

"Remy!" she gasped in disgrace at him, her eyes wide with embarrassment.

"Well?" he asked seriously, waiting eagerly for a response.

"Ah..uh..." she bit her lip. It was so frustrating that she still couldn't speak of these things.

"You ain't ever...? Not even once? Not in the shower? Not in bed?"

"No," she whispered sheepishly.

He laughed vaguely, he'd never met a girl who hadn't bothered to at least experiment alone. It usually took some time for them to admit it, but none had ever admitted to _not_. _Maybe I've been hanging with the wrong kinds of girls, _he realised.

"So...you've never come before..." he breathed hotly. "that's...interesting..."

She looked at him anxiously, and swallowed hard.

"That's...real..._real..." _he licked his lips and brought his hand quickly up the inside of her thigh to meet with the area between her open legs and she gasped. "interestin'."

Rogue bit her lip hard, she seemed to be suppressing the urge to moan, and he didn't like that one bit. He'd been wanting to hear the real thing since the first dream he'd had of her.

_She's gonna resist this because she doesn't know how to let go, _he realised. He rubbed gently over her clothing, knowing it wasn't quite going to suffice the way she needed. Unfortunate he was painfully aware it was all he _would_ be able to do for now.

_Can get creative later, there's lots of ways we can get together physically without our skin being in direct contact. There's probably ways to go all the way...probably a lot of interestin' tricks you can learn to make this work. It's just going to take time and effort. It'll be worth it._

He was surprised by just how wet she was beneath the fabric of her underwear and her leggings; his fingers were slick with it, and he smirked just a little, quite pleased with himself over this as he rubbed at her, wishing the confines of their clothes weren't as much of a reality as they were.

Determined to make her moan, he pressed a little harder, and breathed into her ear, "how's that feel?" he asked hotly, his heart was furiously hard...much harder than when he'd been putty in her hand.

She was gasping, her eyes closed tightly, her breath drawing in with nervous shakes and exhaling in fast warm spurts that he felt near his cheek. Seemed like she wasn't in a position to really talk right now.

_Pity,_ he thought as he rubbed a little more, hoping for a better response. He'd never been good at doing these acts over the clothes. It'd never been _necessary_ before. It was something he was going to have to adapt to and master. Just an obstacle to cross, that was all. But a little vocal response might have helped to determine exactly how he was doing here.

He could tell she was getting _something_ out of it, but he couldn't tell for sure if she was _enjoying_ it, or if it was just giving her a friction burn. Frustratedly, he spoke softly near her ear, "this what you want?" he pushed his fingers a little further, he could almost feel her opening through the thin material of her leggings and underwear. "Mmm, you definitely do..." he said, judging the situation by how incredibly wet the fabric of her leggings felt. This pleasantly surprised him, and only made him feel much more secure in his ability to please her.

_Come on...moan...for gods sake, moan for me,_ he pleaded mentally with her wishing she were a telepath. _Isn't she getting close? I know I'm not the greatest when it comes to over the clothes, but she's...a virgin, she _must _be gettin' off...Christ, I'm gonna come again before she does,_ he realised, feeling the growing hardness beneath his jeans that was pressing in just the right way against her knee.

And then something happened that he didn't expect. Suddenly, she was trying to push him away from her almost frantically.

"Remy..." she gasped his name, she turned her face away from his, closing her eyes tightly, "Stop!" she pleaded. "Please..."

"What is it?" he asked suddenly, he blinked. How could she ask him to _stop_ now? _What have I done? Did something hurt her?_

_ "Stop!" _she smacked his shoulders roughly.

Kneeling up, he looked down in complete bewilderment, wondering what it was he'd done. Swiftly, she pulled back from him and sat up on the edge of the bed, she was looking down at herself and she groaned as if in disbelief, "shit..."

"Chere?" he asked of her, and then he caught sight of his hand. "Oh..." he said, trying not to make a face the wet redness upon his fingers. He understood immediately it was menstrual blood.

"Ah'm so sorry...Ah didn't know..." she got up quickly, he could hear that she was getting ready to cry. She had darted out of the room before he had the chance to even respond to this. He tried calling her name after her but she'd already left him alone there.

Luckily the cleansing wipes were in reach and he quickly grabbed a handful to rid himself of the evidence of her cycle. _What a stupid time to get a fucking period,_ he complained silently to himself as he cleaned his fingers off. More of her blood was trapped beneath his fingernails. He felt as if he'd barely gotten rid of the blood from her impaling, and now, here it was again.

_Seems like I'm doomed to always have her blood on my hands,_ he realised as he sat there, wondering if he was meant to wait here or go. How embarrassed was she going to be? Was he supposed to be embarrassed too?

_I've never had to deal with this kind of thing before,_ he thought as he glanced towards her dresser, realising she hadn't even grabbed any clean underwear or pants. He'd never remained in any kind of relationship long enough for a _period_ to become an issue. He'd never been asked to run out for tampons, or deal with mood swings. _Suppose if I want to be with the girl, this is one of those things that I'm probably _gonna_ have to get used to...it's gonna happen every month whether I want it to or not. Better it happen early and let me deal with it now. Get this out of the way and we can move on with everythin' else._

He searched through her dresser, finding clean leggings and then rifled through the underwear drawer, trying to decide exactly what panties she would need. Was he supposed to know this already? He'd heard girls talk about period panties, but he certainly didn't _see any_ in this drawer. He picked the plainest looking ones he could, tucked them under his arm, and went to the girl's bathroom, hoping no one was going to see him going in.

Rogue was in a stall sobbing her heart out miserably; he glanced under the stall seeing her bare feet and her painted black toenails.

He supposed if he were honest with himself, he felt quite sorry for her. Not only could she _not_ have any real proper physical intimacy, but the first _real_ time she'd been remotely willing to accept any kind of intimacy at all, as limited as it would be, and her period had interrupted.

_Poor girl never catches a break,_ Remy thought sadly. "Chere?"

"Go away..." she sniffled.

"Rogue...it's just a little blood. It's _fine._ Christ, I was covered in enough of yours the night you nearly died. I still had it under my fingernails until yesterday."

Rogue didn't respond, she was still sniffling and sobbing quietly in the stall.

"I brought you clean pants and undies," he said, he held them over the top of the stall and dangled them, "thought you might need them."

He felt her grab them from his hand. Apparently she did.

_Least you scored a few thoughtful points, that's gotta be worth something, right?_ He wondered, he glanced towards the door, hoping Tabitha or Wanda wasn't about to walk in and catch him in here. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain this.

"Are you gonna come out?" he asked, he leaned against the wall by the stall and glanced down at his short bitten fingernails; yes, her blood was definitely going to be stuck there for a while. _When I wanted a part of her to always be with me, it wasn't quite what I had in mind,_ he thought dully.

"No..." she responded softly, still crying a little.

"Can I come in then?" he asked, he wasn't sure what he'd do if she _did_ happen to let him in there of course. He supposed there was very little a hug could do to fix this mess.

"No."

He moved over to the sink and washed his hands, waiting for her to perhaps come to her senses and leave the stall of her own free will. She couldn't sit in there all night, could she? He sighed after several minutes of scrubbing beneath his nails with the brush chained to the sink. The blood wasn't budging. "You okay?" he asked.

"Go away," she pleaded of him.

"No," he dried his hands off with a paper towel, tossed it in the trash and then walked back to the stall. "I'm not gonna pretend this didn't happen. You said this mornin' we were in a _relationship_..."

"And you said to disregard-" Rogue began from the other side, still sniffing pathetically.

"I didn't really think that through," he sighed, "come on, if we're going to be together this is something we're gonna have to tackle, right? It's just a period. It's _nature. _It'll happen every month, whether you want it to or not."

Rogue was sobbing again.

"You think I ain't ever been bled on before?" he asked. He wondered if that'd been the wrong thing to say, as didn't reply at all. "You know even when it comes to the _time_ when we eventually...get to go all the way..." he stared at the door, "You'll probably bleed on me...it happens the first time for girls..."

_And that's why you don't want to fuck virgins,_ he reminded himself with unease. That, and inexperience were two of the main things that turned him off about being with chaste girls.

He realised he wasn't helping. "It's not a big deal, chere. It's just _blood_. I'm full of it too, you know. Where it comes from isn't important..." he tried. _Yes it is, it came from inside of you...that blood was _never _meant to go on my hands,_ he winced, staring at his still stained fingernails.

"Ah saw the look on your face, it made you feel sick!"

It hadn't been quite _that_ extreme. It had still come as a shock though.

"And when I came on your hand, you looked like you were about to _pass out_..." he pointed out, "the human body does some really weird shit...but it's natural. It's disturbing at first but it's normal...you get used to it, you _adapt_ to it."

No reply from the other side of the stall.

"Wish you'd just let me continue _before_ you decided to freak out," he admitted, not sure if it was completely true. He'd have liked to complete the reciprocation, but at the expense of getting covered in blood, he wasn't so sure he'd have been completely happy if she'd _let _him knowing what was going on.

_Suck it up, you've had more than just blood on you before, a little blood on your hand is nothing. Grow up and stop being such a fucking baby,_ he warned himself, shaking his head at his own reflection in the mirror above the sink.

"And what? _Let_ you just stay covered in my blood? Get _more_ of it on you?!" she demanded almost hysterically.

"If that's what it would have took," he moved to the stall and smacked his hand stubbornly against the door, "come on, come out."

"This is humiliating," she sobbed.

"Doesn't have to be," he responded. "Come on...please..." he pleaded of her.

"No," she sighed unhappily, "Ah can't look at you right now."

"You're embarrassed?" he gave a vague laugh.

"Aren't you?" she asked, sounding very upset.

Remy snorted, "I came on your hand, _and_ your knee. Embarrassment for me pretty much flew out the window the minute I let you jerk me off."

"How can you be so fucking...normal...about this shit?" she demanded.

"Because I've seen _and _done much worse."

"Ah _know_, Wanda gave me the whole damn sordid shoppin' list of things you guys have done."

His stomach churned a little. He hoped to god that list didn't include a violent romp against a washing machine.

"Did _she_ ever bleed on you?" Rogue demanded, still in tears.

He thought about this, "no," he responded.

Rogue sobbed again, only seeming to be more unhappy than before.

"Far as I know, she ain't ever had her period since the day we started messing around. I'm not sure what her...cycle...might be...or if she has one. Could be her medications, could be _any_ reason..."

"Maybe she's on the pill," Rogue retorted coldly.

"No, she's not," Remy responded. "I only know that because...this one time we got careless and there was a risk of gettin' knocked up," he decided to be honest with her about this. He supposed it was going to be revealed to the girl sooner or later, and he'd rather it come from him than Wanda or Magneto.

The stall door lock clicked, and the door moved an inch and Rogue stared out of the crack, her expression dark.

"I got her the morning after pill, made her take it in front of me and everything..." Remy explained, trying to sound cool about it. "I was as responsible as I could be for my actions."

Rogue's eyes averted, her lips quivering a little, her cheeks tear stained and streaked with her makeup.

Remy put his hand on the door and pushed it, sliding awkwardly into the stall with her. She'd changed and her bloodied pants and underwear were in a pile on the floor by the toilet.

"I'm only tellin' you this now because I thought it better you hear it from me, than from _her_, or her daddy..." Remy explained quietly. "There's things you're _gonna _hear about me..."

"Ah've already been told enough," she folded her arms and leaned against the wall to her side, looking down to the floor, tears still spilling down her cheeks.

"Like?"

"How you feel...how you _taste_..." she commented unhappily, she reached up to wipe her tears on the back of her glove. "How _deep_ you were inside of her...how you-"

He held his hand up, "I don't need a play by play of the _stupid_ things I did when I was with that crazy bitch. I've moved on. Think you should do the same now. We're movin' onto somethin' good here. Why let her _taint_ it?"

Rogue glanced up to him, her expression feeble and unhappy.

"Come here..." he reached over and took her by the shoulders and brought her to him, pulling her to his chest and kissing her slightly mussed hair. Her arms wrapped around his waist and her hands settled on the small of his back.

He sighed inwardly, relieved she was at least accepting him back. He wondered if he'd have been able to maturely deal with this with any other girl and _still_ want to be together. He doubted it. _My god, this is it. I'm actually in love,_ Remy realised. _I love her._

The feeling should have left him almost elated, but it only left him more sad. He hadn't _wanted_ to be in love, and now that he was, he was a slave to it.

A slave to _her._

"We'll get through _everything_ that comes our way. Wanda's shit stirrin' and your powers...Magneto's machine...nothin' is gonna stop us from gettin' through together...okay?" he asked of her gently.

Against his chest, he felt her sigh, "okay."

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Two**

* * *

I was a little iffy about posting this one, but I figured they're young adults, some sexual situations were bound to occur eventually!

Thanks to everyone for the awesome reviews. The last few really long ones where so thoughtful and a joy to read. Absolutely awesome. Loved it. :)


	33. magneticattractionpart33

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Three**

* * *

**** Authors Note: again, warning of triggers which some people sensitive to sexual situations and/or mentions/situation of suicide may find offensive or upsetting. **

* * *

Remy awoke at 3am in Rogue's room. They'd gone to her room following her melt down over her period and lay down together to watch a movie. She'd fallen asleep long before he had, and he'd fallen asleep halfway through 'Halloween 2'. Rogue was still curled up against him, tight beneath her blankets and he looked at her, wondering when would be the time to take the step and start sleeping under the covers with her if this was going to be a regular occurrence.

_Would_ this be a regular occurrence? Or was it going to stop until Wanda was _cured_? He couldn't stand the thought of all this waiting. He was _fine_ waiting for sex...would have even been fine if they never fooled around again. But he didn't want to wait around forever to get on with his life, he didn't want to wait for Wanda to get over her issues.

If not for the urge his full bladder was pushing him with, then he would have stayed on the bed beside Rogue. Unfortunately, a full bladder wasn't going to be easy to ignore, and so reluctantly, he pulled himself up and staggered tiredly out of her room. The warehouse was quiet, perhaps eerily so. Other than the near silent hum of the heating system, it was so deathly quiet.

Why did something feel vaguely wrong?

As he got to the bottom of the stairs, he noticed there was something on the floor, a gross looking splash of something. He stopped, rubbed his tired eyes and tried to focus on it. What the hell was it? Soup? No...not soup.

Vomit. He moved closer to inspect, and he noticed a mix of half dissolved pills in the mess of it.

Waves of terror rushed through him, and his blood ran cold. The need to pee no longer was the forth most important thing on his mind. Instinctively, he knew at once who had been sick with the half-dissolved pills. There was only one person in the whole warehouse other than Magneto who would have access to that amount of medication.

_Wanda!_ he realised with horror.

Immediately he ran towards the girls bathroom, the splashes of vomit trailing there and the puddle of it in front of the step told him he was definitely heading in the right direction.

His heart was suddenly pounding and his fingers felt strangely numb. He pushed the door open and stumbled inside, stepping over the mess of vomit splattered over the floor to reach the open stall. There she lay, her pale and sweaty body half dressed in a t-shirt and a black thong. One hand was trapped between the toilet and the seat, the rest of her was pressed against the puke splattered tiles face down.

"Wanda!" he gasped, he dropped to her side and turned her over, her face was pale and damp with sweat. He grabbed a handful of toilet paper and wiped the vomit from her mouth then shook her desperately. "Wake up, come on!"

_Why?! Why would she do this? Is she so fucked up in her head that suicide was better than just attempting to deal with it?! _He thought frantically. He shook her more violently, "Wanda, wake the fuck up!"

Drawing his breath, he administered a rather deft slap to her right cheek, one that left his hand stinging and burning hot, but still she did not move. _Hit her harder! You have to get her to wake up! _He tried again, harder this time, hoping it would shock her awake but the girl did not respond, she just lay limp in his arms like a beautiful rag doll.

_What else are you supposed to do?_ he asked himself desperately gaping down at her in panic. Gotta_ get whatever she took out of her system,_ he realised, trying to think straight. Having not long woken up and still being tired was not helping his response time. Quickly, he hauled her to lean her over the toilet and put his fingers down her throat but there was very little reaction. She seemed to momentarily choke, and cough, and flail for just a moment, and then she was still again. He checked for her pulse but had a hard time locating it. He knew very little about first aid and had never tried to properly learn any techniques that may save her life.

_Why are you fucking about here trying to help her when her _father_ is a fucking doctor?_ Remy wondered at himself as he put her down, pushed himself up and dashed towards Magneto's room. He slammed his hand hard against the door after throwing it open.

Magneto was in bed, and through the iron curtains, Remy could see the man waking up and switching on the light, looking groggy and confused, his hair sticking up every which way as if he spent most of his sleep tossing and turning. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse, his eyes blinking.

"Get up, your daughter took a fucking overdose," Remy said quickly and bluntly, before taking off back to the girl's bathroom to attempt to help the girl. He wasn't sure what he should do.

Magneto appeared not two seconds later, "How long has she been unconscious?"

"No clue, I just got here and she was like this."

"Do you know what she has taken?"

"How the fuck would I know?! She has a whole cabinet full of anti-psychotic and anti-anxiety pills! She should have never been left alone with that much medication! Why didn't you-"

"She has never shown suicidal tendencies before!" Magneto hissed, as he leaned to check her vitals, Remy stood looming awkwardly, trying to stay out of the way. "I need to get her to a hospital. Fast. Wake up Pietro," he ordered.

Remy rushed off to do as he was asked. He barged into Pietro's room, yanking the pillow the boy had had his head under, and yelling, "wake up!"

Pietro leaned up, looking bewildered and shocked, "what the-?" he asked groggily; Remy noted the boy hadn't even bothered to change into any night clothes. He'd simply gone to bed wearing the clothes he'd had on all day before.

"Girls bathroom, go now, use your powers," Remy commanded.

"But-"

"Your sister is _dying,_" Remy hissed.

"What?!" Pietro looked at him through blank sleepy eyes.

"Your sister took an overdose, now _go!_"

Pietro took off, his vision a mere blur as he disappeared out of the door. Remy sighed and ran his hand through his hair frustratedly.

_What am I supposed to do now? What can I do? Jesus Christ, is this my fault? _

He moved back to the main warehouse area just as Magneto was leaving the room instructing Pietro on what to do and what to say. Pietro was struggling to carry his sister, the girl dangling haplessly from his arms.

Remy listened, he could hear the strain in his boss's voice, the fear, the frustration. He must have been terrified. For as stoic as he was, it was impossible or the man to hide the pain that his little girl may _die._

"I'll be going to the hospital," said Magneto quietly when Pietro left at top speed. Remy stood there, feeling awkward. "I will get dressed and shall go, I do not know how long I shall be gone."

"Okay," said Remy, giving a careful nod.

"Regardless of anything said between us, you are still the leader I chose. And while I am gone, your word is law here."

"Of course," Remy nodded, "I'll do my best to keep things under control."

Magneto nodded, and went back to his room. Remy supposed he should go find a bucket and mop to try to clean up the mess Wanda had left all over the place. It wouldn't be good for the others to see this. He wondered what he should even tell the others when they finally did awaken.

_Should I just be honest or...lie about it? _He wondered. He supposed when the time came and people asked where Wanda and Magneto were, he would have to say something. But was it _fair_ to tell them the truth? Maybe Magneto wouldn't want the others to know. _Knowing Magneto, he'd feel _ashamed_ of it,_ Remy decided.

_God this is all my fault. Maybe if I hadn't slept with her in the first place, maybe she wouldn't have done this...maybe..._

He supposed_ maybe _was a terribly strong word. Trying to force the frustration and confusion out of his mind, he went to clean up. It was all he could do for now.

An hour passed quietly. After cleaning up all of the mess, Remy showered and dressed, and slipped his phone into his pocket and waited patiently for any kind of update on Wanda's condition, but no calls or text messages were made. Remy was unsure if Magneto had even thought to take his phone in the haste to go to his daughter's side. Feeling slightly uneasy, he went into Wanda's room to clean up any mess that might be there, there was no vomit, but the packets of her pills and the empty bottles were strewn about the floor, some of the cardboard boxes from the prescriptions were torn up, as if she'd sat there ripping them apart waiting for the effects to occur.. On the floor, her MP3 player lay, and a rather dark gothic rendition of 'Gloomy Sunday' was playing on repeat.

_Must have been the last straw,_ he thought as he tidied up the packets, but kept the labels and pocketed them just to make sure that if Magneto should call, he had the list of everything that she had taken, although Remy was positive that the man probably already knew exactly what medications his daughter was on regardless.

_Better safe than sorry, though,_ Remy thought. He bent down to pick up a random pill that had been dropped on the floor, and something underneath her bed caught his eye. Frowning, he shifted the faux fur blankets back a little to examine more closely.

"You gotta me kiddin' me," he uttered under his breath as he pulled out what turned out to be the engine of a car, further inside, he could see a battery. He understood right away where they had come from, the only thing he couldn't fathom was when Wanda had gone and _taken_ them from Rogue's car without so much as anyone even noticing her leave. How had she even gotten away with this without help? It was mystifying. Even Remy who had limited knowledge about cars knew that an engine couldn't be removed as quickly as the battery could have.

_Probably paid a mechanic to come do it. She could have taken the keys from my room, made out to be the owner and asked for it to be done. Or maybe she just got some guy off the street to do it for her...paid him in the best way she knows how,_ Remy thought.

_Guess the mystery of Rogue's constantly breaking down car is solved. Wanda would be furious if she found out that her plan to make sure Rogue didn't get home that night was what drove me right into Rogue's arms. Plan backfired...no wonder she attacked me the minute I got through the door. Wasn't me she was mad at, was herself that she was pissed with._

A further inspection through Wanda's things revealed something else that Remy hadn't expected to find. A flyer the staff had been handing out at the convention centre during the horror movie event in the parking lot. Remy picked it up and looked at it, it'd clearly been crumpled up.

_Now I get it...she _was_ there that night. She must have been there...she was the one that broke the van. Why would she do that? Why not just confront us there and then?_ Wondered Remy. At least the bad luck that had been on going as of late was making sense now. Wanda had been doing far more than they'd given her credit for.

Unhappy, Remy left the room and hoped to get these things out of his mind for the time being. The strain of it all was already giving him a headache.

When five thirty am came around, he went to the kitchen and made a large pot of coffee. Sitting there for half an hour driving coffee, obsessed with why neither Pietro nor Magneto had called to give him any information was driving him mad, and so he forced himself to do some cooking, things that could be kept warm in the oven for when any of the team awakened.

Rogue and Piotr were the first to awake, both coming down sleepy eyed, Rogue's face makeup free and her pyjamas looking crinkled from the way she'd been sleeping. She seemed much paler than usual and he wondered if that was due to the period or just from having woken up. Her puffy eyes and tangled hair made him want to smile, but he suppressed it. Now _wasn't_ the time to be happy about being with Rogue.

Not while Wanda was unhappy, and gravely ill in hospital. It was insensitive wasn't it? He was supposed to be miserable and stoic while all this was happening. He had no _right_ to an ounce of happiness at least until he knew the girl had survived.

Remy supposed he should make some kind of announcement. But what should he say exactly? He wondered if perhaps it might be too soon to say anything at all.

_No. They would notice Wanda wasn't around eventually and that Magneto wasn't here. I'm going to have to say something. Best do it now, get it out of the way so I don't have to make up excuses._

"Why are you up so early?" Rogue asked tiredly as she wandered over to the tray of bacon and sausages he'd just pulled from the oven, and started picking up food to dump on a plate for herself.

"I had to pee and couldn't get back to sleep," Remy responded, he pulled a plate from the cupboard for Piotr, "Pete...hungry?"

"Famished," said Piotr, who due to his large size and muscle mass, seemed to be forever hungry.

Rogue sat down to eat the food she'd chosen, she picked up a fork and pushed the stuff around her plate, still not quite awake.

"Are you okay?" Remy asked of her as he passed Piotr a plate of sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs.

"Ah'm fine," she quietly responded. She had that strangely shy expression that told him she was still feeling awkward about the night before. Whether it was due to her actions, or the untimely period that had interrupted _his_, Remy was unsure.

"You look a little off," he admitted softly.

"Ah said Ah'm fine," she spoke in that stern tone that told him he should drop it. He watched as she gave up with the fork, her co-ordination seemed to be a little off in her sleepy state, and she picked up a sausage with her gloved fingers and put it to her mouth. He couldn't help but be reminded of sex and he winced a little inwardly as the yearning began again. _Why? Why now of _all_ times?! Wanda is in hospital, and here I am thinking of sex..._

"Why does warehouse smell of bleach?" asked Piotr, digging into his food.

"Oh..." Remy responded, not realising the smell had been quite so severe still. He supposed he might have used a little too much of it, but after a while of scrubbing, the smell seemed to have gone. At least bleach was more tolerable than the smell of vomit.

"Yeah the smell is really strong," Rogue chimed in, "practically choked me when I got to the bottom of the stairs."

"Well...Wanda felt ill during the night..." he began. He noticed Rogue's head snapped up to look at him, her eyes dangerously suspicious already. "She threw up. Magneto and Pietro took her to the hospital. I stayed behind to clean up the puke," he explained simply.

Yes, that sounded quite fine. It was even true. He'd left out the part about the suicide attempt of course, but in all fairness, perhaps it really wasn't either Rogue's nor Piotr's business anyway.

"Is she all right?" Rogue asked, her expression suddenly concerned.

"I...don't know," Remy answered truthfully, "neither been in touch."

"What was wrong with Wanda?" Piotr asked curiously.

"I don't know, just...bein' sick. It's winter now so...you know, it's probably just a bad cold or something," Remy lied quickly.

"You don't take a girl to the hospital with a _bad cold_, Remy," Rogue pointed out, he noted she had one hand rubbing her stomach, her expression pained. He couldn't help but be horribly aware that while they sat there, she was leaking blood. The same blood that'd been on his hands. Now that he'd had a night to get over it, and had spent the morning cleaning up Wanda's vomit, a little blood didn't seem nearly so bad as it had.

"Well I don't know," Remy shrugged, trying to maintain a calm voice and a rather fixed expression, "I'm not a doctor. She was ill...she's in the hospital...I'm sure we'll hear what the problem is eventually."

Rogue seemed quite suspicious of this, but if she was going to question it, she said nothing. Remy had the distinct feeling it was because Piotr was there.

After chewing thoughtfully on a slice of bacon, Piotr stated to Rogue, "you are needing ride this morning?"

"Yeah, my car is still _fucked."_

Remy noted the unhappy expression on Piotr's face that always seemed to occur whenever a girl cursed. _Boy is far too innocent to be in this place,_ he thought dully as he picked up a sausage and took a small bite, not even feeling remotely hungry any more but forcing himself to chew all the same.

"I will take you – and pick you up," Piotr offered kindly, he gave a little yawn.

"That's sweet of you," said Rogue with a smile.

"Is no problem. This afternoon, I go to art shop on way home for paint," he stated, he picked up the last two items of his plate, dumped the dish into the sink, and said "I go shower, meet you at van in half hour?" he bit a sausage in half.

"Sure thing," Rogue nodded, rubbing her stomach still.

Remy watched as Piotr left the room, and felt a little relieved that he could be alone with Rogue, and that he wouldn't need to keep up pretence any further. He poured Rogue a cup of coffee, although she hadn't asked. He put the sugar and cream in for her, just as he knew she liked it, and placed it in front of her, much to her surprise. She raised her eyes to him.

"You remembered," she said.

"Kinda thing I should know, right? How you take it..." he sat down slowly with a cup of his own, sighing. Knowing she was going to ask about Wanda and waiting for it to come. "She tried to kill herself."

Rogue's expression fell a little, although she said nothing.

"Found her at three am, covered in her own puke in a toilet stall...I don't know how long she'd been there, or...how much she'd taken."

"Her medications?"

"I took a look in her room, all the bottles and packets were empty, but...I don't know how much of any it she had to begin with. They could have been all mostly empty for all I know...no one ever got asked to run and pick up prescriptions for her so..."

Rogue drew her breath, "Ah had a look through that cabinet yesterday when Ah went to give her something for her anxiety...most of it was all full...bottles that hadn't even been _touched_...boxes with full packets."

"Jesus," Remy responded, running his hand frustratedly through his hair, "I was afraid of that."

After a moment, sitting with her hands around her mug of coffee, Rogue sighed, "maybe it's my fault..."

Remy turned to look at her, confused.

"Ah rejected her...she was obviously screwed up...Ah should have done more..."

"You did what you had to," Remy sighed.

"All Ah did was give her pills and talk to her dad...told him that she needed help. Why _didn't_ he? Why did he just...leave her there? Why did _Ah_ just leave her there? Why didn't Ah think to take those pills out of there?"

"You can't blame yourself," Remy decided, "If anyone is to blame, it's me...I'm the one who led her on for a month...decided to leave her, didn't try to help her properly...wasn't honest with her..."

"Remy, don't," Rogue sighed, "you're know that's not true-"

"You said it was the other day...You told me I encouraged it..."

"You maybe encouraged it, but in her sick mind, she was probably gonna do it eventually whether you had been involved with her or not. Ah just don't understand why her dad didn't do anything. How could anyone let their child suffer like that and not try to help?"

"He's not. At least not in _his _mind he's letting her suffer. He's convinced it's going to cure her when the machine is finished...once you've tested it."

Rogue didn't seem to be sure of this.

Remy wanted to plead again that Rogue not go through with this procedure, but right now, it was even _more_ likely to make her determined. Especially with Wanda so ill and over the edge.

Remy stared down into his cup, it'd already grown cold. "I want to hate the girl. She manipulated me...was mean to me...hurt me...violated me. I really _want_ to hate her. Really I do."

"But you can't?"

He sighed and put his head in his hands, "How can I hate her? How_ can_ I? She's insane...she's totally lost her mind. You know she was the one who stole the battery _and_ the engine from your car."

"She did? How'd you know?"

"Found both of them under her bed..." Remy admitted.

Rogue frowned, "Ah thought it'd been some street thug..." she admitted.

"I think it's been her messing with our phones, breaking the cars...starting to even wonder if maybe your period started because of her powers..."

"Remy!" Rogue admonished, she flushed pink. It seemed she'd been quite determined to have him forget about what was going on with her cycle at this particular moment.

"All I'm saying is...she's got this habit of _hexing _things...you know?" he asked, "isn't it possible that maybe she could have hexed you somehow when she put her hand up your skirt and tried to touch you?"

"Remy, my _period_ was due. She didn't hex me...she didn't _break_ anythin' down there. It's just...a period, okay? There was nothing in the look on her face that said she was _trying_ to hex me..."

Remy sighed, "okay, so maybe I'm out of line with that assumption, but I _know_ the other shit is her fault. She's been creeping through my phone contacts and stuff – I found that out," he explained. He deliberately withheld what Wanda had learned when she'd done so. "Pete's van – I think that was her fault, too. I found a flyer from the convention in her room...Remember they were handing those out in the parking lot?"

Rogue thought about these things. "So you think she's been doing this stuff deliberately? How could she have done that to the van? She didn't even _know_ where we were that night."

"She must have followed us...she told me _Lance_ had told her about it...she gave no indication she'd known already..." Remy explained, "I don't know how much she saw...but it must be how she knew there _was_ something between us."

"But before that there _wasn't_," Rogue reminded.

Remy sighed, "I was always...attracted to you...you know? I didn't figure out I had feelings until after that..." he admitted, "anyway, are you _forgetting _the conversation before you ran off to the bathroom?"

"I...uhm..." her cheeks flushed.

"It was pretty...intense," he reminded, "if she _saw _that...well...I wouldn't blame her for breaking the van. Least it wasn't _our necks_."

Rogue smiled wanly, but looked away.

"Hopefully in the hospital she'll get the help she needs," Remy said after a moment.

Rogue chewed her lip, "Ah don't think they can treat her kind of problem there..." she sighed as she held her stomach, her face tight. He could see she was in pain.

"You okay?"

"It's just..." she began, stopping herself and looking thoroughly embarrassed.

"Cramps," he finished for her.

"Sorry," she uttered under her breath.

Confused, Remy leaned towards her a little, "Why? Why should you be sorry? Why are you _apologising _to me because _you_ feel ill?"

"Ah...Ah...uhm..." she thought for a minute, "Ah dunno...Ah'm real sorry about last night is all," she explained, now flustered.

"Why are you sorry?" he asked. _Why would she be apologetic about it? She did nothin' wrong? _

"For uhm..." she paused.

He leaned a little closer and smirked a little, "I got nothin' to be unhappy about. Did you forget what you did for me?"

"No..." she responded, still seeming down, her eyes fell shyly to the table. "But what happened after couldn't have been much of a turn on..." she managed, thoroughly embarrassed.

Why was it embarrassment on this girl was incredibly appealing and arousing. He couldn't fathom it. "Doesn't bother me," he replied carefully.

"Of course you'd say that," Rogue snorted unhappily, "doesn't mean you actually _mean it."_

Shaking his head at her and smirking just a little, he leaned closer still, and murmured near her ear, "put your hand on my lap."

"Huh?" she asked, her eyes raising to his in slight alarm.

"Go on...you've done it before, don't be shy now..." he urged. He tried to put thoughts of Wanda's suffering and attempted suicide out of his mind. It still almost insensitive of him but Rogue was clearly _also_ suffering with dismay and embarrassment. If he could at least put _one person's _mind at ease today, perhaps he'd be able to relax a little too.

Rogue chewed her lip, looking at him questioningly, not sure how to read this at all, and so without a word, he took her hand and led it beneath the table so she could feel the hardness there that had grown nearly the instant she'd started eating the sausage.

"Now..." he said after a moment, breathing in deeply trying to control himself, "does that feel to you...like I'm having _any_ kind of problems with bein' turned off about a little blood?" he asked. _It's bad timing, I know that but at least if I can remind her we can have some kind of relationship without her needing to control her powers, maybe she'll ease off on the idea of going through this evolution shit for a while...maybe it could buy me time to talk her out of it completely..._

Her eyes fell to the table and she gave a slight shrug, her cheeks incredibly crimson.

"Does that feel to you like I'm _sorry_ about last night at all?" he asked, his voice lower now, he glanced towards the door in case anyone should barge in.

"No..." she whispered.

Sliding the chair a little closer, he murmured, "how does it feel?"

Her eyes shifted to him, her face so incredibly beautiful when free of makeup and not stained with tears. And her innocence showed, which only seemed to make him all the more swollen beneath her fingers and the cotton of his jogging pants. She said nothing, her eyes looking all around the room suddenly as if she were trying to work up the nerves to speak at all.

"How's it feel?" he squeezed her hand around the bulge.

"Hard," she breathed, her voice so barely audible.

"Remember that night at the pizzeria? The morning at the diner? In the car on the way home _from_ the diner?" he breathed near her ear hotly, "I was like this every time..." he drew his breath. "Bein' with you lately...seems to bring things up. And this...this is blood too..." he squeezed her hand, "blood pumpin' furiously right there..."

Her cheeks were still hot, he wished he could kiss each one and then kiss her lips hard until they were as red as the crimson of her blush. She managed to raise her eyes to his finally and keep them there, although it seemed to be taking some effort on her part. And she shakily asked, "right now? Here?"

"No," he shook his head, removing her hand from him, "not right now. Not yet, anyway...it's too soon. You have classes and I have a lot to do around here. But...whenever you feel...or _if_ you feel...ready...then...all you have to do is say," he assured. "And if there's...anythin' you want of me..." he added, "you don't have to be scared to let me know. This isn't just about me...you know that don't you?"

Her eyes fell again.

"When you're ready..." he put his hand on her knee affectionately, "just tell me what it is you need..."

She breathed deeply in through her nose, listening but saying nothing.

"And if you're still too shy to say it," Remy squeezed her knee, smiling a little, "text me, or write me a note..." he suggested. "We don't have to talk about it directly if you find it too awkward...but if you want that kind of a relationship with me-"

"Ah do..." she said quickly, still quite embarrassed.

"Then find a way to communicate with me..." he took his hand from her knee and picked up his coffee cup, sipped the cold liquid and made a face at it. "If you're going to be my girlfriend then I need to know what you want...otherwise I can't provide it."

"I want _you,"_ she murmured softly.

"You already got that..." he smiled genuinely.

"So...is that...what Ah am now?" she asked, "your girlfriend?"

"Is that all right?" he asked.

"Yeah..." she nodded, almost eagerly.

"Go on, go get showered and dressed or you'll be late for school," he realised. "I'll see you when you get home."

Rogue got up and went to leave the room, stopping at the door to spend a moment looking at him as if she were deep in thought. He hoped she wasn't reconsidering being his girlfriend. If she was, she said nothing regarding it. Instead, she drew her breath and said, "Wanda's...going to be okay, right?"

"Chere...I...don't know," Remy confessed, feeling his stomach flip a little at the subject which he'd rather forget for this moment.

Rogue sighed, "feels...sort of wrong, doesn't it?"

He understood exactly what she meant. They had each other, and Wanda virtually had no one. It did feel wrong. "Also feels...kind of right, though," he sighed too.

Rogue said nothing to this, but she left to go get ready, and Remy was left to his stress of not knowing what was going on at the hospital, and not knowing what lay in store for them all.

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Three**

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Eek. Took a little longer to get to this update than I'd hoped (a lot of personal stuff kept cropping up making it hard to find time to write, hopefully I'll be able to get the next few parts up soon. I'm within about four chapters of writing the ending (I am looking forward to completing this story and moving onto other things even though I have sincerely enjoyed writing this one).

Thanks as always for all the support and reviews everyone has put in. When I see the regulars who always leave a long thoughtful review always makes me smile and always gives me the boost to get working on the story more. You guys are awesome. So glad so many are enjoying the story :)


	34. magneticattractionpart34

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Four**

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**** authors note: leaving a warning here that there may be triggers ahead for anyone sensitive to the mention of incest. Probably just gave major spoilers for the chapter, but hopefully it's still enjoyable nonetheless. 3**

* * *

Rogue's day seemed to go by in a wild rush of lectures and rehearsals, all of which were a struggle to focus on thanks to being so preoccupied with the events of the night previous. Wanda's attempted suicide stayed in her thoughts and her discussion with Remy that morning kept flashing back to her, bringing a heat to her cheeks and a smile that she would find hard to suppress.

There was unhappiness to contend with, and their was unhappiness too, and the both conflicted with each other, thoughts fighting with each other to be at the forefront of her mind, making her feel guilty and anxious.

It seemed quite unfair to her that she should feel _guilty _about being happy. She wondered if it was due to having very little experience of happiness, or if it was her sympathy for Wanda, who despite cruel behaviour, was exceptionally disturbed. Perhaps it was both, Rogue decided. Either way, it was unfair to be guilty about happiness when a girl might lay dying in hospital, a victim of her own _unhappiness._

_Life's never been fair,_ she thought. _She could have been me...Ah could have let my powers disease my mind, Ah could have ended up just like her...Ah still could,_ she realised miserably.

Her cramps gnawed at her all day like a giant hungry rat trying to eat its way through her, and she had to try and ignore them as she carried out her rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet. Her professor was happier with her acting today, and even commented that it seemed to him like she was finally _understanding_ the role. Again, Rogue felt the guilt eat at her, her day was going very well, she'd been praised for her performance and earlier that morning her professor had been impressed with her interpretation of a book she'd been reading for her English class.

At lunch, she spied Scott Summers and Jean Grey in the cafeteria, but did not approach and kept her distance. She bought a sandwich and went to eat it in a quiet corner out of the way where she hoped she wouldn't be noticed.

It was odd. She wasn't quite as mad as she had been at Scott any more, and her feelings for him seemed a distant memory. Rogue began to wonder at what point her feelings for Scott had actually stopped being an issue. When had it stopped hurting? For that matter...why she had _ever_ felt anything for him at all in that way?

_Maybe Ah should go speak to him, try to get over this stupid argument. It's getting old. We used to be friends, shouldn't that mean something?_ She wondered. She glanced over her shoulder briefly at Scott and Jean, them locked in a deep discussion about something, his face grim as usual. _But he'd probably be too mad at me to accept an apology after the way Ah spoke to him, _Rogue realised as she turned her attention back to her food and tried to focus on eating her sandwich.

_Maybe now isn't the right time to be thinking about this...if Ah should be thinkin' about anyone, it's Wanda. Maybe Ah should try to call Magneto and see if there's any news. Would that be wrong? Just to make sure everything is okay? _She glanced at her cellphone which was sitting on the table next to her sandwich wrapper. Would he even want to speak to anyone right now? Would it be ill advised?

_He probably doesn't know Ah know,_ Rogue decided. _Ah'm probably not supposed to know...he'd be upset. Ah shouldn't call...he'd be too stressed out to talk about it anyway._ _It's better to wait until he decides to come home and tell us, or to let us know if she's all right,_ Rogue thought. She glanced towards Scott and Jean again, who were still locked in discussion. From far away she was almost convinced Scott glanced towards her from behind his glasses, it was hard to tell but it had seemed that way.

_God, just go and speak to him and get this stupid thing out of the way_, part of her advised herself. The other part of her still slightly stinging from previous communications with him. She was convinced he may ask her to return home again and she didn't want to have that argument. What would they talk about? The weather? Wolverine's latest altercations with Sabretooth? The Danger Room?

_Lets face it, you severed ties and now you don't know how to talk to either of them,_ Rogue thought. She turned her back to them and went back to eating her French fries, trying to clear her mind.

The thought of Remy LeBeau at the table that morning rushed back to her, as it had constantly done so through since she'd left him sitting there. The embarrassment, the odd sense almost of shame, of feeling almost dirty that he had her touch him right there beneath the table. At the same time, regardless of feeling strangely dirty and ashamed, she also felt oddly excited by it, even aroused. It was the semblance of a sexual relationship that she never thought she would have been able to have with anyone.

_Maybe it's too soon...we only just thought about getting together...maybe we should try to keep away from that? Maybe we should just wait until Ah get control, _She thought as she twirled her straw around her cup of orange soda. _We can still hang out...we can still hold hands, that's somethin' right?_ She wondered.

The thought of him and that look on his face two nights ago when he'd climaxed was so fresh in her memory. She'd _never _imagined feeling so oddly powerful as she had at that moment with her hand on him, never imagined feeing so triumphant as she had when he'd moaned in those final seconds. She'd never understood why any girl would want to do anything sexually to another person _without _being compensated in return until she'd seen that look on Remy LeBeau's handsome face.

Giving him exactly what he'd needed at that moment left Rogue with an odd sense of bliss she'd felt some time afterwards, a strange and almost smug sense of well being that came with knowing she'd taken care of his need. And she wanted to see that look on his face again.

_He was reserved...probably uptight,_ she decided. _Ah could tell...he was holding back, he didn't want to freak me out. _The thought had crossed her mind when she'd been rubbing him, she'd expected more of a _performance _on his part, more moaning, more gasping, more instruction. Not that she was dissatisfied or disappointed with the outcome but it wasn't as she'd expected it to be.

_Next time, it'll be different...better._

But when was the next time going to be? Was it too soon already? That very morning she'd almost thought it was the right time but he'd shrugged off the idea as soon as she'd mentioned it.

_He has much more patience than Ah thought he did,_ she thought as she chewed her sandwich. It occurred to her that regardless of his patience, and regardless of his being able to abstain for a week, he was _still_ going to need to be _taken care of_, and the best way to keep him from going astray was to find ways to do that for him.

_Gotta get creative,_ she realised. _At least until Ah have control...gotta find a way to make him happy...find a way to do things for him that are better than the things _she _did._

Of course, being creative meant also learning to get over her shyness, and that was perhaps a larger issue than the problem of her powers. _Ah already saw him naked...already got him off, had his stuff on me...should Ah still be so embarrassed?_

"Rogue..."

Hearing Scott Summer's voice at her back, Rogue felt somewhat deflated. _Ah didn't even have time to think about what to say,_ she thought, she took a quick sip of her ice cold soda and held it in her mouth for a few moments hoping it would help to cool the hot flush of her cheeks as she'd thought about Remy LeBeau. She pretended she hadn't heard him and that she'd been reading the book she'd had set out on the table so she had this moment to prepare.

"Rogue?" said Scott again, this time a little louder.

Rogue drew her breath to turn and look at he and Jean who were standing there at the back of her chair, their fingers entwined. "Hi," Rogue replied, surprising herself by how genuinely happy she sounded to see them.

"We just...thought we'd say hi, since...it's been a while," Scott explained, sounding strained. He was still feeling off about the way she'd left things at the cafe and she could see it in his grim face. She supposed she should try to just let bygones be bygones.

"What's up?" Rogue tried to maintain her cheery tone.

"You didn't speak to us at Kitty's party," Jean spoke up, "in fact...you were gone before we'd had the chance to talk."

"Ah wasn't feelin' well," Rogue lied, although she supposed her mental anguish somewhat qualified as not feeling well in a sense.

"Yeah, we heard about your accident," Scott admitted, "we were worried. We wanted to visit but...Logan wouldn't allow it."

"Oh," said Rogue.

"How are you? Are you healed?" Jean asked, sounding concerned.

"Ah'm fine," Rogue replied. She wondered how much about the accident they'd heard of. She wished no one had known at all. "Totally healed up, not even a scar...although I have these weird little dots where the stitches were..."

_Go on, Scott, go on, _she thought at him. _Tell me that you told me so, you know you want to say it, you know you've been _waiting _for the perfect opportunity to be right. Come on, you know you want to point out that you said Ah'd get hurt and it actually happened and that you were right and Ah was wrong._

But Scott didn't say any such thing to her. He stood there cool and composed, holding his girlfriend's hand.

"If everything is going wrong with the Acolytes..." Scott tried, he paused, "you know you can always come home...no hard feelings..."

"Ah know that," Rogue sighed, "but...right now...things are just...the place _isn't_ without its problems, Ah'll admit, but...it has it's good points...and things are fine there."

"No one is giving you a hard time?" Jean asked quietly.

_Not unless you count Wanda,_ thought Rogue, wondering if Jean would pick up on it. "No...everythin' is fine. Better than fine..." she wondered if it would be wise to tell him about her dating Remy LeBeau yet. She was sure he wouldn't take this well. "Ah'm happy there."

"We're glad to hear it," said Jean, she nudged Scott in the ribs.

"As...long as you're happy...that's the main thing," Scott admitted, he looked down to the floor, his expression slightly clouded.

"Ah am," she promised, thinking that perhaps it could be true.

"But...if you ever _want_ to come home...you know you're always welcome," Scott said again, "Always."

"Ah know that," Rogue nodded, "but...it's not really home any more. But...if anything changes...Ah know where to turn..." she reached out her hand to him and looked him as straight in the eye as she thought she could considering he was wearing red glasses.

Unsure, Scott reached out to shake her hand. It was a silent agreement between him. He wouldn't ask again, and she wouldn't go through the argument again. They were done.

* * *

Remy had been in the middle of his daily one-hundred sit ups when his phone begun to ring. It was almost two pm, and he'd waited all day for that call so much that he'd almost given up hope that there _would be_ any calls.

Pushinhg himself up awkwardly trying not to put any pressure on his injured wrist, he wiped the sweat from his brow with the front of his t-shirt and grabbed the phone to see the caller idea showing up as 'boss'.

"Hello," he said, after hitting answer, he drew his breath and waited for a response.

Magneto was silent for a moment, and so Remy immediately feared the worst. _Please don't tell me she died. I don't like the girl, and I'm pissed at her right now, but I don't want her to die._

Speaking up, he cleared his throat and said, "how's Wanda?"

"_She is in intensive care_."

Remy felt the strangest sense of relief that at least she wasn't dead. But still, intensive care still wasn't out of the woods. Intensive care was a serious matter.

"_Her condition is still considered still critical,_" Magneto responded after a moment, he took a deep breath. "_It may be some time before I will be able to return_."

"What are they doing for her? She she comfortable? Is she awake?"

"_She is unconscious, presently_," said Magneto unhappily, "_the doctors are currently testing for any possible lasting damage that may have occurred_."

"What kind of damage do they expect?" Remy worked up the nerve to ask.

"_With an overdose of this magnitude, liver and kidney damage are not uncommon_," said Magneto, sounding quite strange. It was the most emotional he'd _ever_ heard the man sound since having met him. It made him too human to Remy, and too hard to not feel sorry for.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Remy tried to sound positive, but couldn't even convince himself of this.

"_Pietro is on his way home now in a cab. He left twenty minutes ago, so he should be with you fairly soon._"

"Is he all right?"

"_As well as to be expected,_" said Magneto softly, "_he is upset, so please tread carefully. That is all I ask_."

"You need me to do anything for him?" asked Remy, wiping the sweat from his neck.

_"Anything that will help him calm down would be greatly appreciated. He is under extreme stress._"

"Okay," Remy nodded, "I'll...do what I can."

_How do I do that?_ Remy pondered. _What do you do for someone under severe stress? I can't even handle my _own_ stress._

"_I will call you with any further news_," Magneto responded, and without even saying so much as a simple goodbye, he hung up the phone.

Remy put the phone down and sighed. _This family gives me more trouble than it's worth,_ he thought. He went outside to find out if Lance was still out there working on Rogue's car, and to wait on the cab that would be no doubt soon to arrive with Pietro inside.

Lance was there all right, still attempting to get Rogue's car to work again. He seemed frustrated as he moved to the drivers side and leaned in, pressing down on the brake pedal with his hand.

"Hey, how's the car coming along?" Remy asked as he approached.

"I think the brake is fucked or something," said Lance, "like it's been tampered with."

_Wouldn't surprise me,_ thought Remy in disgust, "what'd you mean?"

"Try for yourself," Lance gestured to the brake pedal.

Leaning in, Remy pushed his hand down hard against the brake. It barely budged.

"What the hell-?"

"It's like it's jammed or been wedged or something. Whoever did this wasn't fucking around," Lance said. "They really wanted to make sure no one was gonna drive this again."

Remy made a face. _Yes, Wanda did it, and she definitely _didn't_ want Rogue drivin' that car. She wanted to make sure the girl never got home. _"Is this fixable?"

"Probably," Lance shrugged, "once I figure out what's going on. You hear from boss man yet?" he asked.

Remy had told Lance and Tabitha the same lies he'd told Piotr and Rogue that morning. That Wanda was in hospital feeling ill. He hadn't chosen to elaborate any further at this time. It was up to Magneto, Pietro or Wanda herself to make that call whether they wanted the others to know. Remy wasn't going to announce it for them. It was a _family_ matter, and the only reason he had thought to tell Rogue the truth was that she had already seemed to suspect the truth judging by her behaviour the night before.

"She's still feelin' pretty rough, so they're keeping her in for observation," Remy replied, he spied a cab coming up the hill and he moved to open the main gates to the yard so the cab could drive right in and turn.

Remy wasn't surprised to see Pietro looking so rough as he climbed out of the cab and paid the driver. The boy looked as if he hadn't slept for _several_ nights, and his eyes were red as if he'd been crying. His clothes were slightly coffee stained, and were the clothes he'd worn the day before that he'd just been too lazy to change from when going to bed. Remy wondered if he would even bother to change his clothes now.

"Hey man," said Lance, "how's Wanda?"

Pietro passed by them slowly, and only replied with "don't want to talk about it," in a very robotic almost trace-like tone.

Remy watched the boy go inside, and he only followed to the door and stared in as Pietro crossed the room and stood there in the middle of the room for a moment looking at the place, his expression blank. Then without reason, the boy punched a part of the already broken panel wall that had been damaged from Wanda's attack that Saturday night.

Wincing, Remy stood there was the boy began to yell in fury as he kicked the wall, then pushed over the nearest table angrily. He kicked over a power tool, swept his hands over the nearby counter and threw all the screwdrivers, hammers and boxes of nails to the floor. Even from so far away, Remy could see the distress, he could see the boy _wanted _to cry but was holding back from doing so.

_Temper seems to be a trait in that family,_ thought Remy dully. He pushed the door shut slowly and was glad that Lance hadn't seemed to hear. He moved to Lance and asked quietly under his breath, "got any weed?"

Lance stared at him blankly, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"Do you? Have any weed here? A stash of it hidden?" Remy asked hopefully, feeling awful for even having to ask.

"Is this a trick question?" Lance asked, "is this where you ask me if I have any weed then I answer, then you go report me to Magneto and get me yelled at?"

"No," Remy said, "if you happen to have it this time, I can be willing to let it slide."

"Man..." Lance looked conflicted.

"Seriously," Remy assured, "this time, I'm not gonna make a scene. I won't ask where you got it, I won't get up in your face about you having it. I just want it."

Lance gave a sigh, "There's a bag at the bottom of the porn magazine box under my bed."

Remy nodded, and went to retrieve it, noting that now Pietro was sitting on the floor, his head in his arms, knees up to his chest. _I know he's a jerk, but this must be devastating,_ Remy thought. The bag of weed was exactly where Lance had said it would be, at the very bottom of a box of some explicit men's magazines. Remy sat there at the bottom of Lance's unmade bed in the untidy room, attempting to as best he could roll a joint which was something he'd never been able to do well.

_You'd have been much better at this if you rolled your own cigarettes instead of buyin' them,_ Remy realised. After making the best version of a joint he could possibly (after having to dismantle the first four poor excuses he'd made) he clasped it in his hand, and went downstairs, Pietro was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall outside his father's office room door.

"Come with me," Remy urged.

Pietro looked away, "not in the mood," he responded, sniffing and wiping his nose on sleeve of his sweatshirt.

"Come on, the fresh air will do you good," Remy picked up Pietro's arm and hauled him up with very little resistance on the younger boy's part. Pietro seemed too tired, and far too weak to argue, and so he gave in. Together they left the warehouse, passing by Lance who looked mildly curious as they went off towards the back of the building and towards the woods.

They walked in silence, the air was bitter cold, but the rain was holding off for now. Their walk ended towards the clearing where the obstacle course was, and when they arrived, Remy sat down upon a log, reached into his pocket to retrieve his lighter, and he sparked up the joint he'd been holding in the fist of his injured arm up until this point.

Pietro stared at Remy, his expression one of disbelief. Remy could read his face, and it said _you gave us shit about smoking weed and now you're lighting a joint up in front of me?!_

"Go on," Remy held the lit joint up to him, "I won't hold it against you."

Sighing, Pietro accepted the drug, and at that moment, as _wrong_ as Remy knew it was, it seemed to be the right thing. He wasn't sure else how to help the boy. Pietro wasn't going to accept comforting and kind words. And right now, the advice to _man up_ and _accept_ what'd happened wasn't going to help either. What he _would_ accept was a gesture like this. That was all Remy _could_ do. Pietro probably would have smoked the stuff regardless if it had been Remy offering it or not. _Who's to say he wouldn't just go to Lance later and ask for the stuff anyway? Who's to say he doesn't have a bong in his room?_ Remy wondered.

_I know I shouldn't encourage it, but in this condition, what else am I supposed to do for him? I'm not a therapist, or even his friend. I'm just the guy who happens to be a pain in his ass for the most part,_ thought Remy.

Pietro attempted to pass the joint to Remy after several minutes but Remy pushed his hand away.

"I don't do drugs," Remy responded quietly.

Frowning, Pietro held it out towards him again. For a moment, Remy tried to understand why it was important that he did. So that if Magneto found out, they could be _both_ held accountable? No, that wasn't it. _This _was a gesture too. _Be on common __ground, he does it, you do it, you're equals._

Uneasy with the idea of this, Remy accepted and took a drag of the thing. It wasn't the first time he'd ever smoked the stuff, and he managed to take it without the coughing that Pietro was plagued with. He made a face at the taste of the stuff and passed it back to the boy.

"Never did like the taste of this stuff," Remy admitted, exhaling.

"I want to know why it happened," Pietro finally asked a few moments later, his eyes slightly glazed from the smoke. He didn't sound angry, in fact, all he did sound was sad.

"It happened because she's ill," Remy responded, accepting the joint for a second time, sighing as he looked down at the thing and shaking his head at himself. "You know that."

"What did you do?"

"It wasn't what I did," Remy responded, "it's what she did. She crossed the line."

"Yeah...she's...always doing that," Pietro looked down to the ground, his eyes seemed dark and angry for a moment. "If there's a line, doesn't matter how _big _it is, or how _much _she isn't meant to cross it, she'll cross it regardless. She can't _not_ cross the line."

"Pretty much," Remy agreed.

"She was fine...sort of...when she first got out of _that place_," he admitted. Remy thought it strange how he referred to it as _that place_. As if it were too hard to say what the place had really been. "She was as crazy as squirrel in a bag of cactuses but she wasn't like _this_."

"But then?" Remy took a long drag of the joint, closed his eyes and held onto it for a moment before exhaling.

"It just got worse...didn't matter how much she got medicated or what therapists or psychiatrists my dad sent her to...she just got worse and worse," Pietro turned to look at Remy lazily, "you know the kind of...fucked up things...she does?"

"I do."

"She can't _help_ it...it's impulse...somethin' about the mutation and the genes alterin' the way her mind works...makes her angry...makes her..." he rubbed the back of his neck. "Sexually promiscuous...she can't...help it..."

"What'd she do?" Remy asked carefully.

"We were fighting this one time and all of a sudden she just grabs my...you know..." Pietro looked down at his crotch, "I went nuts...I slapped her."

_I wanted to do the same,_ Remy thought coldly.

"I _know _I'm not supposed to go around hittin' girls and all that shit," Pietro said quickly, sounding distressed, he spoke even more quickly now, "but what else could I do? It wasn't the first time she tried that kind of shit. Not just when she was trying to _hurt_ me neither. Sometimes...she'd just...say stupid shit...like she thought it was funny..."

Remy felt immediately depressed hearing this, but he wasn't surprised, "I always...thought there was a reason you guys kind of drifted apart," he took another long drag and passed the joint back, shaking his head.

"She said to me once it wouldn't matter how _related _we are...she _needed_ to be fucked...didn't care who from. And that I was her _brother _and that if I loved her I should just give her what she wanted...that she had all this _experience_ now since she'd gotten out and she could do stuff that would make my head spin..." Pietro's hand was shaking as he took another draw from the joint, shakily, he passed the joint back. "It made me feel _sick_. It _still _makes me feel sick. She'd talk about how she'd blow me _and_ swallow and let me do her in the ass...how she'd ride me like a fucking horse..." Pietro's voice cracked, and he swallowed, coughing a little afterwards. "That's my _sister, _man_. _She's not _just_ my sister, she's my fucking _twin_. We shared a fucking womb for gods sake...how could she think of me like that...?"

Remy took another hit of the thing, because now it seemed rather pointless to not continue. Not when it seemed he was finally getting somewhere with Pietro, and not while they were being civil to each other. "It's like you said, she doesn't have control of this affliction..." he paused. _Affliction. Is that a word? It sounds so weird._

"Why am I even telling you this?" Pietro sighed, rubbing his head tiredly.

"Because sometimes you just gotta say what bothers you, I guess," Remy shrugged.

Pietro snorted. Obviously it _did _bother him a great deal. The expression on his face was so tight and pulled that it spoke faster and louder than his words ever could. "The last time she tried anythin' was about a month and a half ago...she came in while I was in the shower...I didn't hear her come in," Pietro shook his head in disgust, "she _grabbed_ me...she came in beside me and she was fucking naked and she _grabbed_ me. My own _sister_ grabbed my fucking dick...do you have any fucking _idea _how fucked up that is?"

Remy blinked, "I got some idea."

"I threw the towel over her and told her she was a fucking whore...I freaked out...I didn't know what else to do..." Pietro started laughing suddenly, almost hysterically. He took a moment to calm himself, then continued. "I didn't sleep for three _days_ after that. I had to put a lock on my door because she used to come in my room at night and try to get me to do stuff with her. Now I'm scared to even try to shower alone in case she comes up in my business again so I always have to wait until someone is in the next _stall _before I go in there just so she won't come in. That's my _sister_, and she's like a _stranger. _ You seen the things she does...goin' around flashin' her tits and wearin' no underwear and short skirts...not even caring if I'm her _brother_ and I have to look at that shit."

The world seemed to ripple and sway a bit, the wind felt like the waves of an ocean lapping gently over Remy as he considered this. "Do...you think she's been the same way with your dad?"

"I...have absolutely no idea," Pietro gave a vague unhappily and inappropriate laugh, "I know he doesn't like being alone with her either...can't remember the last time he hugged her...or...even told her he gave a shit. She _disgusts_ him..."

_I can't blame him,_ thought Remy. _She's a loose cannon and you can't stop a loose cannon...you can only move out of the way of it._

"I sometimes wonder if she's tried to the same things to Pete...he's never gave any indication, but she looks at him funny and he tries to keep away from her. And Lance. I saw her giving you those looks too. And I really _hope_ to god she hasn't with Lance because he hasn't got the kind of..." Pietro trailed off trying to find the right words.

"Willpower?" Remy asked carefully.

"Yeah...that...he doesn't have that kind of willpower to...you know...not. He's a dog. He'd fuck her in a heartbeat...'cause Kitty isn't giving him jack shit."

"Oh," said Remy. He wasn't surprised, and he had to commend Kitty he supposed for keeping both feet on the floor in that respect.

"I can't believe it took a _month_ for me to find out that you've been fucking my sister," Pietro shook his head angrily.

Remy rubbed the corner of his eye, "I didn't mean to get involved," he admitted, "stupid mistake...couldn't help myself. She's gorgeous...and she was offerin' herself up..." he sighed. "Longer things went on I got to realise maybe...maybe she just thinks that sex is the only way she can feel wanted. That maybe it's the only way to connect to anyone else."

"I should have been _thankful_ you started fucking her...that's when she left me alone..." Pietro admitted with some bitterness. "But..."

"But..." Remy supposed, "she's your sister, and I'm an asshole, and you're still determined to protect her anyway."

"I can't help it," Pietro responded, "we're twins...we're connected. You know I sometimes...wonder if maybe it's my fault that she's the way she is..."

"How could it be your fault?"

"I read this website about twins once, and this psychiatrist claimed that twins are like two halves of the same person, that everything that _one_ kid should have had, the traits, and personality, get split between the two...so that the twins end up like polar opposites..." he shrugged, "you look at us, do you see us as twins?"

"You're not identical twins," Remy reminded.

"No...but look at us? My hair is white, hers is black, her eyes are dark blue, mines are light...I got the easily controllable abilities, she got the fucking chaotic ones..." Pietro counted off.

"Your point is?"

"Maybe _I _got the sanity, and she got all the fucked up craziness?" Pietro shrugged.

"How could it be _your_ fault then? Even if that theory wasn't horseshit, you still can't be in control of what genetics you got through sheer luck of being born..." he shrugged.

"Then how the hell did she get so fucked up?" Pietro asked in dismay, he stretched his legs out and admired his shoes, smiling a little at them despite the strange mood he seemed to be in.

Remy glanced up at the sky, a flock of birds passed by and they seemed much closer than they sounded to be. "I guess the combination of her powers and that place poisoned her mind."

"Poisoned...that's a nice way of putting it," Pietro uttered.

"Your dad thinks he can fix her..."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Pietro uttered, and took a drag from the joint after having to light it up again. It seemed he was determined to leave the conversation at that. The two spent several minutes finishing the thing off until it was done, and then sat in silence, enjoying the moments.

After what felt to be about fifteen minutes of sitting there in silence, Pietro finally got up unsteadily, "I think...I need to find somethin' to eat now," he swayed a little.

"You feel better?" asked Remy, he kept his voice low and soft, to try and sound as gentle as he humanly could with the guy who most of the time, he despised. In this case, he felt much less hatred for him than he normally would but Remy suspected that was the _weed_ and not so much the bonding over Wanda's insanity.

"Yeah...in a fucked up way, I do," Pietro responded. He moved towards the direction of the warehouse, then paused and turned back to look at Remy and sighed, "thanks," and with that, he wandered off and disappeared through the woods.

Remy supposed he should go back too.

Remy took a slow walk, feeling unsteady and dizzy. The trees seemed to be reaching for him, to tickle him with their thin bare branches, and the shrubs seemed determined to trick him into tripping over. Regardless, he enjoyed the walk, and the deep haze he felt himself to be in.

When he eventually got to the warehouse he noted that Lance had given up on the car for the day, and that Piotr's van was back. This meant Rogue was home.

Inside, Lance and Pietro were talking in the main warehouse area, Lance thought something Lance had said was hilarious, but Lance seemed merely mystified as to what it was exactly.

Leaving Pietro to his slightly better mood (at least for the moment being), Remy headed towards Rogue's room, gripping the rail to steady himself, feeling quite off balance. Being high quite wasn't what he remembered it to be.

It was odd, how in this state, Rogue's walls seemed much brighter than they usually did, and the room seemed much longer. He tried to compose himself as best he could and stood at the door looking in at her as she sat there reading a book for college.

"Hiiii," he finally said, his voice slow and dripping sweet like thick honey.

Rogue looked up at him, a perfectly plucked eyebrow raised, "yeah, it certainly _looks_ like you're high..." she moved from the bed, "what'd you do?"

"Pot," he closed the door behind himself, "Pietro was back, had to find some way to calm him down before he broke the rest of the shit that his sister didn't," he passed by her and headed for the bed.

"You look strange...your eyes look...totally black," Rogue took his face in her gloved hands to examine, "I can barely see the red in your eyes..."

"Oh?" he leaned to the side to look in the mirror. His reflection only cracked him up. He _did_ look strange. And his hair looked much bigger than usual too. Self-consciously, he flattened it, thinking his fingers looked alien. He laughed loudly and pointed at the reflection, "you see that?"

"This isn't gonna be a regular thing is it?" Rogue asked worriedly, "'cause if you're gonna be doing drugs-"

"Don't fret. I got no interest in gettin' high. This was a one off thing... I promise," he lay back on her bed and kicked off his shoes.

"How is it a _one off_ thing? What makes you think it's okay to just do it now?" Rogue demanded.

"I had to...it was for Pietro...he's totally cut up, and Magneto said I should find a way..._anythin'_ to help him wind down."

"Ah'm _sure_ that when he said that he didn't mean get the guy stoned," Rogue sighed.

"Hey...it was the only thing I could think of short of callin' out for a hooker..."

"You know the numbers to call hookers out on housecalls?" she asked suspiciously.

"Not by heart, but I know there's a page in the Bayville Yellow Pages dedicated to _masseuses that specialise in_ _happy endings. _You didn't think that was legit, did you?"

"Ah never thought about it," Rogue rolled her eyes. "So is Pietro okay?"

"As well as he can be for the moment. He was laughing at Lance's feet or something when I saw him downstairs, so I guess he's fine right now. Anyway...enough about my day and all the stress goin' on here. How was your day?"

"It was...actually pretty good," Rogue answered after a moment, she sat beside him, "Scott and I are talkin' again. Classes were good...for once..."

Remy ran a finger gently along her spine as he listened.

"Lance still didn't get the car runnin' right. Somethin' about the brakes now," she added.

"Yeah, I know..."

"How's Wanda?" Rogue asked suddenly, as if only just remembering that the girl was still in hospital.

"She's...in intensive care," Remy sighed, after a moment he added "is intensive a word?" he had a feeling he'd gotten it wrong somehow. He kept thinking it out. _Intensive...in...ten...sive. Am I getting this right? Why does it sound so funny?_

"Yes," Rogue rolled her eyes at him.

"Sorry..." closing his eyes, he drew a swirling pattern across her back over the thin cotton of her shirt on her back.

"But she'll be all right?"

"I don't know yet. Magneto is gonna keep us updated when he can. He says there's tests they gotta do..."

"Ah guess it's to determine what kind of damage she's done."

"Yeah that sounds familiar," Remy nodded. "Somethin' about kidney damage or somethin'...I can't really remember...hard to think straight right now, to be honest."

"How's your arm?"

"It's actually not too bad now," he admitted, "feels just dandy. I'd never recommend smokin' pot. Nasty habit and all, but...you know...it does wonders for takin' the edge off sometimes."

Rubbing her stomach still, she sighed, her expression still showing her pain.

"Speakin' of edges..." he leaned into her and drew her a little closer, "seems like you're havin' issues with pain yourself..."

"Ah'm fine."

"Is it really that bad?" he asked, still seeing she was rubbing her stomach and wincing. "What's it feel like, anyway? I've always wondered. Is it like a cramp from eating or...?" he asked carefully.

"No," she frowned, "not like that."

"Then tell me..." he murmured gently.

"It's like..." she blushed, "like...somethin' is tryin' to pull me apart from the inside...like my _womb _is falling apart...and every time Ah stand up...it gets worse...almost like everythin' is gonna fall out..." she sucked in a breath. "It's like a sharp pain, you know? Intense..."

He brought his arm right around her and placed his hand on her stomach, "can't be much fun."

"It isn't..." she moved her hand to let him rub her stomach, and leaned back into his arms a little. "Be careful," she murmured to him.

"I always am," he breathed in the smell of her hair and pushed thoughts of Wanda out of his mind. Being able to touch Rogue like this brought a serenity to him that the weed hadn't. Everything about it was innocent, from the way he let the tip of his nose brush against her hair, to the way his fingers circled her lower stomach in a slow and careful massage. Why was it there was nothing remotely sexual about any of these things but they felt far more intimate than anything ever had with another girl? Why was it that even holding this girl's hand touched him he felt far more connected than he ever had kissing a woman?

"Wanna watch somethin'?" she asked sighing softly in response to his gentle massaging and the way he breathed softly near her ear.

"Whatever you want to watch," he answered. As she left him to go pick through the few of her DVD collection (the ones she'd bought while shopping with Lance, and then at the horror convention later), he got comfortable on her bed, propping himself up against the pillows and the headboard and lazily watching her. The room seemed to weave and sway around him, and the colours of the walls, of her top, of the screen on the television seemed so vivid and hazy. Everything had an almost dreamlike quality to it, and a strange feeling of peace left him feeling warm, and comfortable and secure.

_This is how happiness is supposed to feel,_ he thought as he lay there staring at the screen. She sat at the bottom of the bed for a while, glancing through her college books as he tried to focus on the film she'd put on. Perhaps it was the weed, but he was actually finding this horror film amusing. When six thirty came, he began to feel ridiculously hungry, and his mind began to clear enough that he finally felt it time to interrupt her intense studying to complain about the fact.

"I'm starving."

"Munchies, huh?" she asked casually as she glanced up from her book.

"I haven't eaten since this morning," he moved closer and examined what she was reading for her English literature class. He couldn't make head nor tail of it himself. "Lets go out."

"For?"

"I don't know. Chicken, maybe. Or Mexican..."

"Maybe we should stay here in case Magneto calls?" Rogue asked pointedly.

"I'll take my phone," he retrieved his phone from his pocket and checked for calls. There were none. "You should drive," he added, "my reaction time sucks when I'm stoned."

"Promise me this isn't gonna be a regular thing. You gettin' high Ah mean," Rogue requested of him again as she closed her books, and stood up.

"I promise," he moved to the edge of the bed slowly and stood, he felt so tired he was beginning to reconsider going out for food.

"And gettin' drunk?"

"I got no intentions of becomin' an alcoholic or a junkie. I'm _tryin'_ here, Chere. I've made a mess of things, but..." he reached for her gloved hands and took them, "I want to turn my life around. I don't want to be _that _guy. Known enough of them in my life."

Rogue gazed up at him with soft eyes, her hands holding onto his. "That's why you're here..." she reminded.

"Lately, not really. These past few weeks I've been askin' myself why didn't I just _leave _this place...for good. Why should I stick around when Wanda was practically blackmailing me?"

"So why didn't you?" Rogue asked carefully.

He tilted his head and examined her face, "I think...maybe I was..." he chewed the inside of his cheek and tried to really think of the explanation.

"You were-?" Rogue asked, waiting.

"I think I'd have left if it weren't for you," he finished.

"Why?"

He thought of the deal with Wolverine, and the thought that Wanda may hurt Rogue, the thought that Wanda might have eventually told Rogue about their 'arrangement' before it had all come out at the weekend. All those things that had been holding him back.

"I think...I've been fallin' for you since the minute you set foot in this place and called it home..." Remy took a breath, "I just...wasn't aware of it, not until things started getting worse and worse...I've never really had much experience with love..."

"So when _did_ you realise it?" she asked curiously.

"Saturday night...when you were...dying. Sometimes takes nearly losin' somethin' to make you realise how much you _don't _wanna lose it. And when you nearly died...things started...clicking. Your blood was on my hands...I was never so _scared_ was I was that night," he swallowed back hard, feeling a strange welling of emotion. He wasn't going to let her see how much this bothered him just yet. "I've had...yearnin's..._" _he began. "I won't lie...some days just bein' near you brought things...you know...up..." he shrugged, "but...it never occurred to me it was gettin' to be somethin' more...not 'til that night...not 'til I'd nearly lost you..."

Rogue stared at him strangely, as if she were trying to figure something out. Whatever it was, the expression left pretty quickly.

"How about you?" he asked of her. "When did you first...start thinkin' about me that way?" Remy asked, he took her jacket from the hook on her door and helped her into it.

Rogue thought about it, she seemed to have to think carefully too. "Like you, Ah think...Ah had feelin's comin' about but Ah didn't know until later...much later...and it hurt to think of you with Wanda. At Kitty's party Ah was miserable...Ah wish you'd been there...with me..."

"Next party, we'll go together..." he entwined his fingers with hers tentatively with the hand and opened the door for her with the other to let her be the first to step out of the room. Wanda may have been in intensive care, Rogue may be intent to make the biggest mistake of her life by trying to go through the process of evolution. But for tonight, Remy was determined to push everything out, because tonight, he had Rogue.

And he was happy.

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Four**

* * *

**Aaaaaah, I'm so glad to get that part out of the way. I'm sure the question has been burning on one or two tongues what the issue was between Wanda and Magneto and I'm sure this has maybe put a little bit of a light on it at least (hopefully anyway).**

**Thanks to all for their kind reviews. Had some really awesome insightful ones lately, you guys are all so nice and kind and I appreciate the time you take when you review :) 3**


	35. magneticattractionpart35

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Five**

* * *

The most of the next day went by in a strange blur for Remy LeBeau and although theoretically things were going fantastic with Rogue, he had been on edge for most of the day since the moment he'd awakened. A brief training session on the obstacle course (now that most of the flooding had drained off) had done very little to clear his mind, and he'd decided to push ahead with the planned projects without Magneto's supervision, hoping that the work would keep him focused on the task at hand and not on the constant drama that seemed to surround him as of late.

With the majority of the mess from Wanda's destruction (and Pietro's outburst on Friday following his return from the hospital) cleared up now, the gymnasium project once again began. Remy, Piotr, Lance and Rogue worked hard throughout most of the day to replace the walls that had been destroyed.

Try as he might to be consumed by the work and not let thoughts of these terrible few weeks plague him, Remy could still not let his mind wander. Especially since Magneto had not called back since Pietro had returned.

As Remy stood writing a shopping list for the next run to the hardware store, he thought of how quiet Pietro had been. The boy had barely come out of his room today at all, and frequent checks had proved he'd decided to sleep off his misery for this moment in time.

_I can't blame him,_ thought Remy, deciding against trying to coax the boy into doing some work in an attempt to take his mind off of his troubles. _Work didn't help clear _my_ head, it isn't going to do much for him._

As he calculated the rough estimate of the supplies they would need and what they were going to cost, he felt a hand touch the small of his back, and startled, he jumped. _God, why are you so jumpy?_ He wondered as he turned to see Rogue standing near his back and slightly to the side. She was wearing one of his old plaid shirts, he'd allowed it since it seemed she had so very few clothes of her own and could find nothing suitable to wear for the work required. The thing was oversized, the sleeves were rolled up but still sagged, and the hem hung halfway down her thighs. Still he felt the thing looked much better on her than it ever had on him, even if it was paint splattered and slightly torn from long ago.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

He slipped the pencil behind his injured ear, which he'd forgotten about up until the thing grazed against the blistered scabs. He winced and pulled it out. "Yes...I'm fine..." he shook his head at himself.

"Doesn't seem like it," Rogue folded her arms casually and let her backside rest against the nearby table, "you've hardly said two words all day. You've been...distant."

"Sorry. Mind is elsewhere, I guess."

"You don't _need_ to apologise for being preoccupied," Rogue gave a vague laugh, she shifted and sat upon the table, fully, her legs dangling over the edge.

"Sorry..." he said again, he rolled his eyes at himself. "Sooner I hear from Magneto the better...I can't settle until he gets in touch and I know what's goin' on exactly," Remy explained.

"So no word at _all_ since yesterday?" she asked.

"Nothing, not a phone call, not a text message," Remy replied, he folded up the shopping list and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans. "Startin' to wonder if maybe I should just...I don't know, go down there."

"Do you really want to do that?" Rogue asked carefully, her green eyes searching his.

"I don't know..." he touched his injured ear tentatively and winced at the pain. "I don't know if I even really want to _see_ Wanda ever again after what she did to me, but..." he shook his head, "I don't know, I'd like to know what's going on...see if she's all right. Even if she is a crazy bitch."

Rogue chewed her lip, "you sure?"

"Yes. I have to know. I can't stop _thinking_ about it," he sighed. "I know it's stupid..." he shook his head at himself, "caught somewhere between feelin' _mad_ at the girl...but...feelin' sorry for her. Why the hell are my feelin's about this so fucking..." he trailed off and tried to find the word.

"Conflicted?" she asked.

"Exactly," he muttered, "conflicted. I can't just have one feeling about this, I have to have them _all. _I hate it. It's so fucked up," he sighed. "I just..." he frowned and sighed.

"You just what?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"I just wish I could go back to not giving a fuck about _anything_ or _anyone_ except myself," he stared into Rogue's eyes and realised there was no way that could ever happen again. Selfishness had flown out of the window, and in return waves of love, uncertainty and responsibility had flown back into take the place of it.

_You should have never stayed, You should have just took off. Never should have let yourself feel a fucking thing for anyone,_ he thought unhappily as he looked away from Rogue, feeling almost guilty for wishing he'd never fallen for her. _And Rogue? You honestly think you're ever gonna bring a day's happiness into this poor girl's life? You're kidding yourself, that's all you're doing. _

"World would be a pretty lonely place if you thought that way," Rogue commented softly.

"I should have left a long fucking time ago. I should have never stayed this long," he shook his head, "none of this would have happened if I'd left."

Rogue took several moments to process this comment, then she queried, "so why didn't you?"

He looked around the room, wondering the same thing. "It's what I've done for as long as I could remember," he sighed. "I told you, I got nowhere to go. I'm not like you with your X-Men to fall back on. I got _nothin'."_

_ "_The Guild wouldn't have you back?"

"I wouldn't _want_ to go back..." Remy stared down at their hands as he twined his fingers with hers.

"Is it that bad?"

"Bein' Jean-Luc's slave, havin' my every move dictated for me? Havin' to watch the people I grew up with fall into the kind of lifestyle crime brings with it?" he asked. "Two guys I grew up with are on hardcore drugs, only stealin' to afford the next hit. One guy in my guild was a year younger than me and died four months ago from a heroin overdose. Another of them got so desperate for money he tried to steal a diamond necklace from the house of a guy who was involved with the fucking mob. The bastard caught him, and his '_associates' _beathim and then dumped him into the swamp for the gators to eat. Cops didn't find what was left of him until last month, I read it in a newspaper."

Rogue was quiet, listening closely.

"I don't want that to be me..." Remy sighed. "At least here..." he gestured to the warehouse, "even if I was born a nobody, I might not die as one."

She gave a faint smile, and with her free hand she reached across and brushed her gloved thumb against his cheek tenderly.

"I know I could get by out there if I had left," he mumbled unhappily, "I've done it before. Stealin' to make ends meet, sleepin' in motel rooms or hostels, travellin' by bus or train, lookin' for easy grifts. In three months of work, I could make enough to pay for rentin' a fancy apartment in a city, I could have any number of luxury cars at my disposal, I could have any possession I want," he drew his breath, "gettin' by and being _comfortable_ is easy. But it's not _living_. It's..." he shook his head, "I don't know..."

"Surviving?" she asked, still caressing his cheek.

"You can have _everythin' _ you like if you're willin' to just take it," he tried to explain, and attempting to get his feelings on the subject out and struggling so badly with it made him feel horribly inadequate when it came to expressing these things. "Problem is when it's that easy, none of it means _anythin'_. That's why a lot of the guys I know turned to drugs...that's why I _didn't_ want it to be me."

"So...you came here?"

"Money was good...I was assured there would be hard work, and that there'd be a roof over my head. I figured...no running, you know? Stay back, make some honest money with hard work..." he paused, "not that sometimes the option to earn some money dishonestly hasn't come up..." he tilted his head and looked at her, wondering if perhaps this might be the right moment to tell her about his deal with Wolverine.

_Would it be a mistake to just spill my guts? Is it too soon? _

"What do you mean?" Rogue asked, looking at him with the vague suspicion that she felt he was holding something back.

"Well, I-" he began.

The sound of the warehouse doors opening stunned them both, and they turned to face the doors quickly, breaking apart to see two silhouettes moving into the dimly lit entrance. Rogue slipped off the table and let go off Remy's hand immediately.

Remy's blood froze as Magneto and Wanda came to step into the light. Magneto looked tired, unshaven, his hair uncombed, his skin seeming quite sallow. He had his arm around Wanda's shoulders and was leading her inside carefully. Wanda was wearing baggy ill-fitting clothes that looked brand new as if they'd been bought last minute by a person who hadn't been sure of her size.

_She was wearin' nothin' but a puke stained t-shirt and a thong when they hauled her off to the hospital, _Remy reminded himself, watching with some apprehension as Magneto guided Wanda towards them. She was hugging herself, her expression so vague, her face pale and seemingly clammy, dark smudges under her eyes, skin seeming sallow and lips chapped. Each step she took she seemed to barely be capable of lifting her feet and so they dragged roughly against the cement tiles.

_Oh my god, is he _serious? _Why the hell would he take her out of the hospital? Look at her...she doesn't look too good, _Remy thought in dismay. _She can't be well enough to be out yet!_

Remy noted as Magneto led Wanda over, the girl would not meet with their eyes at all, she seemed to be staring into space, nothing but a vacant expression on her very pale and drawn face.

Neither Rogue nor Remy knew exactly what to say to their boss, nor the girl who was clearly _not_ well. As she swayed unsteadily and her father held her up, Remy wondered what potent sedative Magneto had her doped with. The girl could barely stand unaided and Remy was convinced she wasn't even _aware_ of where she was or what was happening.

Remy felt such utter horror looking at the girl. _Shouldn't she be on an I.V. Or something? Shouldn't she be under psychiatric supervision? What the hell is he thinking?!_ _There's no way she should be out in this condition! _

"You're...back..." Rogue managed, she held onto the table as if she herself felt a little unsteady.

Piotr and Lance, who had both been at the back of the warehouse fitting a new support beam, left what they were doing to come and greet Magneto and Wanda, both with vaguely confused expressions on their faces.

"I am glad to see you are feeling better," said Piotr to Wanda, trying to be friendly whilst clearly lying through his back teeth that he thought she even remotely looked better.

Wanda did not speak, she looked up at the giant with lazy unfocused eyes, her mouth hanging open, expression so incredibly vacant.

_Jesus christ, what the fuck has he put her on? Should he be doping up a girl who just took a massive overdose? _Remy wondered. Despite recent history, there was an odd surge of protectiveness towards the girl that made him feel almost as if he should demand what the hell his boss thought he was doing.

"I see you have begun to rebuild what was destroyed," Magneto stated, approving of the progress.

"Yeah," Remy replied, feeling horribly awkward that his boss was attempting small talk. This was not the time for small talk. Wanda had done some horribly inappropriate things as of late, Remy realised, but in comparison, Magneto's walking in with his suicidal daughter doped up to her eyeballs like this and making small talk about construction work seemed more inappropriate than _anything_ the girl had done.

"You have done well," Magneto nodded, he steadied Wanda who swayed again, her head tilting forward as if she barely had the strength to cope with holding it up.

"Piotr, I would appreciate if you would sit with Wanda for a few moments, there is something I must discuss with Rogue in private."

"Is...this all right?" asked Piotr, looking very concerned at Wanda's condition. Curiously, he waved a hand in front of the girl's face and she did not blink or even seem to realise he had done so. "She does not seem very..." Piotr looked for the right word and could only respond, "present..."

"She will not give you any trouble," Magneto assured and he moved Wanda over to Piotr, who held her up steadily and led her towards a chair so she could sit.

Rogue blinked and she and Remy exchanged expressions. Remy felt a horrible sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. Magneto gestured towards his office and Rogue went towards the door, Remy quickly followed at her back.

_Don't let her go in there alone, don't trust him,_ Remy told himself sternly.

"This is private," said Magneto coolly as he stopped Remy by putting a hand firmly on his shoulder and giving him a dark warning look. That look said _you are not welcome._ Remy didn't care about being welcome or not.

"Not with her," Remy shook his head firmly.

"It does not concern you."

Remy spoke up, "the hell it doesn't." He looked at Rogue to see if she agreed with this and tried to speak to her with his eyes. _Don't go in there without me, Rogue. __"_Anything concerning a member of my team concerns me."

"It's okay," Rogue said, "let him be there..." she reached for Remy's hand, and he took it gladly. He couldn't have missed the disapproving expression on Magneto's face at their romantic gesture not to mention the fury aboutRemy's reluctance to let Rogue go in there alone. He supposed he couldn't blame the man for that. He did after all hate to be disobeyed.

Magneto switched the lights on in his room as they entered and then closed the door behind them both. Slowly, he moved towards the desk at the wall, and he turned to look at them, giving a strange grim sigh. His eyes fell to their joined hands and Remy could tell he was judging just how quickly Remy had moved on from his tryst with his daughter.

_It's a bit late to play the disapproving and caring father now, _Remy thought angrily.

"What's goin' on?" Rogue asked after a moment of silence between the three; her body language spoke to Remy of just how incredibly anxious and uncomfortable she was here.

"I would like to _push ahead_ with our plan," Magneto said simply.

Rogue gaped, "you...you would?" she asked.

"I'm sure by now Gambit will have broken confidence with you to advise you about my plans for Wanda's evolution."

Rogue shifted from foot to foot uneasily, "he...told me that...Ah'm your...test subject," she nodded with a strange expression of certainty.

_She can't still seriously want to go through with this after all that's happened,_ Remy thought in disgrace, he squeezed her hand. _Be strong, don't let him back you into this corner, you don't _need _his crap,_ Remy thought desperately at her.

"That has always been my intention," Magneto responded. "You are the one who came to _me_ for help..."

Remy looked to Rogue, hoping she would change her mind right then, and when she said nothing, he felt despair flush through every vein and mix with the anger to leave him feeling deflated and beaten. Why wasn't she going to fight him on this?

"You are an intelligent young woman, Rogue. I assumed you understood that _nothing _comes without a price."

Giving a soft nod, Rogue looked to the floor, her expression almost sad. Remy squeezed her hand tighter, wishing she would refuse to talk further, to walk out. They could both leave right then, it'd be the end of the mess.

"You negotiated your _own_ terms. You did not ask me what mine were," Magneto pointed out with a sigh. "Wanda's mental condition is deteriorating and her powers are becoming more and more unstable. I had to remove her from the hospital for not only her own safety, but the safety of the other patients and staff. She is in no condition to be _out_ of the place, but I had very little choice in the matter," Magneto explained, his expression dull and almost lifeless. "I cannot keep her drugged on heavy doses of sedatives indefinitely for her own safety and you begged of me to not put her in an institution. The only solution I have is to push ahead with the evolution process."

Rogue took a deep breath and finally spoke, "which means Ah have to live up to the purpose you intended for me."

"Yes."

"But you said it could take weeks to finish that machine," Rogue reminded, her lip trembling..

"In theory," said Magneto, he rubbed his forehead with a sigh, "if I work without breaks, without interruptions...then it can be done in days. Provided I'm given the peace and quiet necessary to work."

"Is...the Professor going to help?" Rogue asked carefully.

"He disagrees with my plans," Magneto spoke up, "he feels it would be unethical to treat Wanda this way, or for you to go through with this same process. He will not offer help of this kind and I do not need it."

Remy tilted his head, "what about the Professor and his telepathic powers...couldn't he do something for Wanda? Get through to her? Calm her mind? There has to be some way someone like him could help..."

"Do you think if it were as simple as having Charles use his powers to bring her powers under control that I would take the risk of putting her through evolution?. If I thought there were _any_ other way to help her-"

Remy interrupted quickly, "You want Rogue to be the test subject to a machine you're going to speed-rush to build..." he tried desperately to control the anger in his voice.

"Remy, please..." Rogue turned towards him, letting go of his hands, "You have to-"

"No," he shook his head at her in disgrace, "you don't get it...he's going to risk your _life_. Even if he'd taken the _time_ to work on that machine the way he'd first set out to, there'd have been risks, but to race to construct it? Don't you know he could _kill_ you?"

"Ah _know_ what this process can do. He _knows_ what he's doin'," Rogue tried.

"No," Remy took her by the shoulders and shook her hard, "if he _knew_ what he was doing then he wouldn't _need_ you to test this thing for him. If he _knew_ this machine was absolutely one hundred percent gonna work, then Wanda would be the _first_ person in that thing."

Rogue frowned and looked away from him. "We could help her. That girl...she's..."

Remy shook his head, "she ain't _your_ responsibility. She's _his._ You don't _owe_ her this."

"Yes Ah _do. _Ah took you from her."

"You didn't _take_ me. I was _never _hers to begin with," Remy reminded, he shook her again, wincing at the pain this caused his injured wrist, "but I am _yours. _And I'm asking you _as _yours to please _not _do this. Please do _not _be his fucking guinea pig..."

Rogue stared up at him, "Ah'm not just doin' this for her...Ah'm doin' it for me. For _you. _Once this is all over...we could be together..." she reminded.

"I don't _need_ you to go through this just to try and make me happy. I've proven to you that you don't _need _to touch me physically to be with me..." he kept his voice low, aware of Magneto's watching them both with boredom as if he'd happened upon a soap opera on a drama channel on cable

"Ah _do_ need this," Rogue broke away from him, "you think Ah want to live the rest of my life like this?"

"We've barely _begun_ to explore what we can do..." Remy tried desperately. "It's far too soon to be thinkin' about the long term!"

"Life is too short to sit around tryin' to think of creative ways to work around my powers, Remy. Ah could have what Ah want _now_...and at the same time help someone who like me, has _always_ struggled with control. Please just think about this..."

"I am growing tired of this argument," Magneto spoke up, he gave a sigh. "Rogue, you do not need _anyone's _permission to do what you have a mind to do."

Rogue's eyes felt guiltily to the floor.

"What if I were to 'sweeten the pot'?" Magneto asked carefully, his voice almost cold.

"How?" Rogue asked curiously.

Remy stared at her in disbelief. How could she just keep disregarding what he was begging of her? How could she consider _anything_ this man said?

"The terms of our agreement could be renegotiated," Magneto suggested.

Rogue stepped towards him a little, intrigued. Remy stood behind her, feeling helpless to all of this. "How?" she asked.

"Since our verbal contract has changed and new details have been declared and deadlines have been included, then I am willing to let you _break_ your terms of the deal you made with me the day you came here begging for my help."

Remy put his hand on Rogue's shoulder, "don't listen to him, please..." he whispered to her.

"What are you sayin'?" Rogue asked of Magneto uneasily.

"You agreed to stay with the Acolytes indefinitely, to be at my whim. This was the offering you made me. What if I agreed to let you leave following your successful evolution?"

Rogue drew her breath, and she seemed a little unsteady again. "Ah could go back to the X-Men?"

"No strings," Magneto added. "Our renegotiated agreement would be that you willingly set foot into the evolution chamber, and you be the first to test the process. Following your successful evolution, you will be free to leave to go wherever you please, and indeed, back to the X-Men if you wish it."

"What if it doesn't work?" Rogue queried carefully.

"It will not fail," Magneto spoke up. "This process is intended for my own daughter, and I will _not_ be careless to put her at risk."

Remy snorted, "You already have. Bringing her here in this condition drugged up? You think she's not going to attempt to hurt herself again? She should have never been allowed to leave that hospital. She's even _more_ at risk here than she ever was!"

"I had no choice!" Magneto slammed his closed fist on his desk, causing an empty coffee cup to rattle furiously. "Twenty-nine people in critical condition on _life support _remain in that hospital. Wanda's abilities affecting any machines, electricity, wiring, structures around her the moment she is distressed. Do I need to explain to you in _detail_ what she can do or did you not already feel the _wrath _of it when she attacked you?" Magneto pointed out.

"You should have taken better care of her," Remy uttered at Magneto, "Your parenting is a fucking _joke_. You hide in this room while your kids _need_ you. You ain't tried to show Wanda any kind of love! She doesn't know how it feels to have someone love her!"

Magneto stood up, his face seemed to go red with anger, "I will not be spoken to-" he began.

"The only thing your daughter associates with _love_ is _sex. _The only way she can connect to anyone, the only way she can feel remotely wanted or cared for is to be _used_ like a fucking whore!" Remy yelled much more loudly than Magneto had, interrupting, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

Out of the corner of his eye, Remy was fully aware of Rogue standing gaping at him.

"If you had taken the time to deal with these issues..." Remy shook his head in disgust, "she wouldn't be _half_ as fucked upas she is right now!"

"How dare you," Magneto uttered coldly.

"No," Remy spat angrily, "How dare _you!"_

Magneto blinked, his expression suddenly blank. "How...dare...I..." he repeated, sounding exasperated.

"How dare you stand by and _continue_ to let it happen. You knew what had happened with the doctors and the guards, the psychiatrists...with practically _every _guy she ever met at that nuthouse you left her in! And you didn't make _any _attempt to get her under control! She was the only woman here amongst four guys! Odds were, she was going to move on to _one of us!"_ Remy yelled, "even if one of them was her own fucking _brother!"_

Magneto's face fell, and it seemed he was trying to speak but the words would not spill from his trembling lips.

"You knew what she was, you knew what she was _capable_ of, and you let her be unsupervised. Let her dress like a hooker on a Vegas street corner!"

Magneto's eyes dropped, his face becoming even hotter with anger.

"You were once a doctor! You ignored the signs that your daughter was headin' for a complete meltdown! You above _all_ people surely knew that you don't leave a mentally unstable person with a cupboard full of prescription pills! You don't give a mentally unstable person complete control of their own medication without supervision! You should have been the one giving it to her and making sure she was taking it! Not dumping it on her and telling her that she should go take it whenever her moods became too extreme! If she'd _died_, the only person responsible would be _you_!"

Rogue tugged on Remy's sleeve, "enough..." she said softly, "He's heard enough."

"But you haven't!" Remy turned to look at Rogue, then pointed to Magneto. "Right there...that's the guy you think is going to make your life better?"

Rogue's eyes were glassy as she stared at him, it seemed she was about to start crying and he had to harden himself to it.

"You know why he's so goddamn caring towards _you?_" Remy demanded. "It's not because he likes you. It's not because he's _attracted_ to you or that he even feels vaguely _sorry _for you. You know why he acts like he gives a fuck? It's because you have a _use. A purpose. _That's why he offered you his comfort when you cried. The same comfort, by the way, he can't even offer his own fucking _daughter! _He didn't care about your feelings, he didn't care if you were sad or not, all he cared about was _keeping you _here. He was keeping you sweet! That's it."

Rogue's bottom lip trembled. She was staring at Magneto, and Magneto was staring back. Remy noted at no point did Magneto try to deny _any_ of these accusations.

"And that's the guy you trust with your life. A guy who can offer comfort to a stranger who can serve a purpose, but not to his own daughter who is being torn apart from the inside out by her powers and insecurities..." Remy shook his head in utter disgust. "I can't stand and let you make this mistake. I can't stand here and watch you trust this son of a bitch!" Remy cried at her, "I just can't."

Rogue looked between them both, first to Magneto then back to Remy, and then she looked around the room as if she thought there might be some kind of explanation in the metal walls or the floor. "Then...don't..." she said quietly.

He hadn't expected this response at all, and he stepped back from her, staring in disbelief, "What?"

"Don't..." she responded softly.

"Rogue..." he began, shaking his head.

"Ah don't blame you for not wantin' Wanda to have help after what she did to you..." Rogue stared up at him. "You have every right to be bitter..."

"I'm not bitter. You _know _I've done everythin' I can to try to see this from every angle..."

"Regardless," Rogue sighed, "Hearin' all these things you've said about Wanda...it only makes me more _sure_ that Ah'd be doin' the right thing. It seems to me like...she never had a _chance_ of bein' normal...and Ah know how that feels..."

"Chere..." he tried, he reached out for her hand and she refused him. The rejection hurt more than he had thought it would have.

"Ah have to do this. Not just for me but for her too..." Rogue hugged herself, "and if you're not on board with this, then...there's nothin' more to say between us..."

"Rogue...what are you talkin' about?" Remy asked anxiously. He was sure he didn't want to hear the answer. "Are you trying to telling me if I don't back you up on this we're _through_?" he demanded, somewhere between devastated and furious.

"Do you want to see me cured?" she asked hopefully, her eyes full of anxiety and pain.

"Of course I want to see you _cured!_" he yelled incredulously, "but I don't want to see you make a huge mistake."

"Ah'm not makin' a mistake," she assured.

"Don't do this, Rogue, I'm begging you," he pleaded of her desperately. "I have a bad feelin' about this...I've had a bad feelin' about it since the minute I found out why you came to us."

"Remy..." she shook her head at him, becoming frustrated with the conversation.

"I have tried so hard to look at it from your perspective, chere. I _know _this is torture for you but don't you think it kills me too? Don't you think it hurts me that there's _nothing _I can do to help you?"

She was silent, listening. She seemed to remain very still, statue-like and pale.

"I _know _you want what everyone has, I know you're entitled to be able to live a normal life just like everyone else. I wish I cared so little that I _could_ just stand back and let you do this, let you go through the process. Every part of me wants to see you happy. A small part of me, a selfish little dirty part of me even _wants_ you to get cured so we can do everything I've dreamed about doing."

Rogue's dull green eyes fell to the floor, she sighed deeply through her nose, a single tear escaped and trickled down the side of her nose.

"But there's also a large part of me says that I shouldn't let you do this. I care too much about you to let you sell your soul to the devil...you don't know what you'll lose if you do this

"Ah've already made up my mind. You know that," Rogue folded her arms insecurely. "Ah've told you that since the moment Ah first let you in on why Ah was here. You don't _have _a say in this. It's my decision...and it's not going to change."

"Rogue...you've _always_ done the right thing...don't shift to doin' the wrong thing_,_" he pleaded of her, trying to get her to meet his eye. He could hear Magneto sighing, the man was becoming more and more frustrated with this drama.

Rogue shook her head, keeping her eyes averted from his. She swiftly swiped her tear from her nose with the back of her glove. "No. Ah'm done with doin' the right thing. Ah've done the right thing since the day Ah found out about my powers, and what has it got me? Nothing. Ah've sat by these past few years and watched everyone around me movin' on, gettin' what they want. Nothin' changes for me. It's time to be selfish for once in my life and do what _Ah _want. What _Ah _need..."

_She's never going to give in. I'm wasting my breath,_ Remy thought, seeing the determined expression in her eyes. _This is a battle I'm never going to win. She's had her mind set on this for far too long._

_ "_You say you care about me...that you _love _me...then stand by, and let me do this. And when it works out, we'll have everythin' we want..."

"You're...going to trust _him_ over _me?"_ Remy demanded incredulously.

Rogue sighed, she did not answer.

Magneto stood slowly, his expression determined, his eyes cold and calculating. "I think it is time you left, Gambit."

Even as vaguely as the man said it, Remy understood at once. He stared across at his boss, his stomach flipping, "what are you saying?" he asked. He already knew the answer.

"You had potential...that was what I admired about you. That was why I made you the leader of the team. I thought you strong, and purposeful, but you are weak. You allow women to control you...you let a girl rule your heart, you let a girl _rape_ and _violate_ you..."

Remy gaped at his boss, then turned to look at Rogue in horror. "You _told_ him?!"

"Ah was tryin' to-" Rogue began helplessly.

"I _trusted_ you!" Remy gaped at her.

"You stated it yourself. I do not like people without purpose, and I have no purpose for you any more, you will leave this place," Magneto stated.

"No..." Rogue tried desperately. She reached for Remy's hand, but he pulled away from her in disgust.

"I will give you twenty minutes to pack your belongings and go. If you are not gone from this property by then, I will remove you myself," Magneto continued, his eyes squinting.

Drawing his breath angrily, Remy held onto his temper, "fine," he responded coldly. He glanced between them both, "I hope the both of you will be very happy together," he uttered icily under his breath, and with that left the room, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Five**

* * *

**Thanks to everyone as always for their awesome reviews (always such interesting interpretations and predictions to what's going on/happened). Hoping to get the next part up by Wednesday (no guarantees though). Love you all 3**


	36. magneticattractionpart36

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Six**

* * *

Remy LeBeau had nowhere to go.

Gathering what very belongings he owned had taken little to no time, and within ten minutes of Magneto's warning that he should leave, he was gone from the warehouse without even bothering to turn and look back. He didn't even feel it in himself to bother to say goodbye to anyone.

_I didn't even say goodbye to Rogue,_ Remy had thought angrily as he rode his bike to town, trying to decide what he could do. Rogue had stayed in Magneto's office; whether Magneto had told her to stay there or whether she'd been reluctant to leave it, Remy was unsure, but it was all he could think about. She hadn't followed him, hadn't tried to convince him to apologize to Magneto. He'd almost expected it...he'd expected her to chase him down and beg he not go. But she hadn't. It was as if she _too_ had given up on him.

For a while, he drove around, which usually worked well to clear his head but this time proved quite unhelpful. Perhaps it was the noise of the bike or perhaps it was just that it was still too close to what had happened. The thoughts were whirring like the sound of the engine and he couldn't think straight. _What I need right now is a place to rest and think,_ he realised.

There were three motels in Bayville, one being on the outskirts of the other side of town, one being The Bayville Best (which was anything but) and the Lakeview Motel (which had no view of the lake to speak of). Remy decided against all three. There were two hotels in town and Remy opted to try the better one first. Unfortunately, although the place was quiet and obviously in dire need of custom, the elderly receptionist seemed to have a disliking for mutants seeing Remy's; in his haste to leave the warehouse he had forgotten to grab his sunglasses which were somewhere in the kitchen the last he remembered. With excuses made about the hotel being all booked up for a convention, Remy had no choice but to try the other, which gave the same lame excuse.

_Funny how there's two conventions going on right now in this town at the same time, _Remy thought furiously as he stormed out of the second hotel and glanced around the quiet street. It was nearly nine, and the street lights cast a dim light on the damp cement and tarmac.

Feeling rather downtrodden, Remy sat upon the wet pavement next to his parked bike, lit a cigarette and tried to ascertain his next move. Where should he go from here? Where _was_ there to go? He didn't want to stay in any of the motels, he'd spent enough time sleeping in damp uncomfortable rooms as it was. He supposed he could always just leave Bayville entirely, move on to somewhere else.

_No...I can't go far. What if Rogue comes to her senses, needs my help?_

He somehow doubted that was going to happen. It'd been a few hours already and she hadn't even tried to call him. _She didn't even fight Magneto on his kicking me out. She just stood there and let him insult me and humiliate me..._

Even if she _had_ tried to call him, he wasn't sure he would answer. What would he say to her? He was still angry with her about her betrayal of trust. _When you tell someone somethin' personal like a_ girl _raped you, _you_ don't expect them to go blabbin' it around. I've never felt so fuckin' humiliated. _

How could she tell Magneto about that? How casually had they _spoken_ about it? Was it a general conversation or had Rogue tried to use it as her bargaining chip to get him to understand how psychotic Wanda truly was. Remy wondered if perhaps he should have tried to use it before Rogue had.

_No. It was none of his goddamn business, _Remy thought angrily. _He saw it as just an other example of me bein' weak. __Rogue __should have never told him. How can I forgive her for that?_

He sighed as he thought of the look on her face as she'd tried to reach for him and he'd pulled away. She'd been hurt, so dejected. Part of him hated making her feel that way, but the other part of him wanted her to feel it for what she'd done. He'd _trusted_ her...he'd opened up to her, and it hadn't been easy...and that was what she'd done? Part of him had wanted to reciprocate the betrayal of trust by telling her about Wolverine and their deal. See how she liked it.

_Do you really want to hurt her like that?_ Does _she really deserve it? _Remy asked as he flicked the cigarette ash down into the gutter and sighed. He supposed he didn't really want to hurt the girl at all. He wasn't sure what he wanted right now, other than somewhere warm to spend the night.

The sound of a motorcycle alerted Remy, and he raised his head to see Wolverine's Harley turning the corner and pulling up nearby. The older man wore no helmet, although Remy supposed if one has an Adamantium skull there was very little need for one. Wolverine leaned forward on the handlebars, and snorted, "loitering on this street is illegal, you know."

Remy snorted too, "I don't care."

Wolverine's eyes shifted to Remy's Harley, where the tote bag with his belongings was strapped to the back. "I guess you're cutting loose, huh?"

After tossing the smoked cigarette into the gutter – another crime no doubt – Remy stood up, glad his leather coat had prevented his backside from getting soaked by the wet paving. "Something like that."

"I figured you'd do that sooner or later."

Remy threw a disgusted look up at the man but said nothing.

Wolverine continued, Remy had the distinct impression the man was trying to provoke him. "Couldn't handle it, huh? Couldn't man up?"

Drawing in his breath through his nose, Remy said nothing.

Logan snorted, "Word is you're known for bein' a runaway."

Remy looked at the older man dangerously, "I didn't run away, all right? I was fucking tossed out. Tossed out because I was trying to do what _you _asked me to do."

"I see," said Wolverine.

"If you hadn't asked me to do this, this shit would have _never_ happened," Remy growled.

"If you hadn't been so goddamn greedy for the money, it'd have never happened either. And who's to say that you wouldn't have tried to stop Rogue doing what she wants regardless once you figured it out _without _my telling you?"

Remy looked down to the ground, clenching his fist. He supposed the man was right. He had no one but himself to blame for his own mistakes. He sighed, giving into the realisation. "I can't do anything to stop her from going through with this. I've tried, and I've failed. And now..." he shook his head sadly.

"And now?"

"And now...god, I don't know. I don't know what else to do."

Wolverine climbed off the bike, "lets talk," he gestured towards the bar across the street. Remy sighed, and with a shrug, followed.

The bar was quiet tonight, which Remy thought to be quite odd considering it was a Saturday. He supposed the poor weather was keeping people indoors. Wolverine ordered two beers and they moved to a quiet table in the back. Remy accepted the beer that was slid across the table to him and he sighed as he dangled the bottle by the neck before taking his first swig.

"Tell me everything."

Remy stared down at the scratched table, tracing invisible patterns with his casted hand. "Where you want me to start?"

"From the beginning."

"There is no beginning. It just seems to start from the middle," Remy uttered miserably, he took another swig from the bottle. "From the moment Rogue joined the team I wondered what had to be in it for Magneto."

"There's always a catch," agreed Wolverine.

"And I found it. I know she's _useful_ because of what she could do but I knew there had to be a catch somewhere, like you said. I'm not stupid, I knew there was something in it somewhere. Then you told me when we made the deal what was in it for her...but it _still _didn't click. Then a few days ago, Magneto drops this bomb on me that the machine...this evolution thing or whatever the fuck it is...this contraption...it's not for Rogue, it's for _Wanda._"

"For Wanda?" asked Wolverine after drinking from his own bottle.

"Wanda's getting out of control, she's totally deranged. She's doing stuff, saying stuff, hurtin' people..." Remy used his bottle to gesture to his cast and shook his head at himself. "Magneto puts it down to her powers...says that her powers are the cause of this...mental illness she has."

"It's an interesting theory."

"I don't think her powers _are _the cause...it's just...it's too _easy,_ you know? You can't blame a simple genetic quirk on that kind of...fucked up mentality, surely?"

"You'd be surprised," Wolverine admitted casually.

Remy supposed Wolverine would have to see it from another side, from what he'd heard and observed, much of Wolverine's own savage nature was influenced by his 'quirk' too. Pushing aside the thought, Remy continued, "I can believe maybe her powers are bein' affected _by _it, not that her powers are _causing_ it."

Wolverine stared across at him, listening, absorbing these things, his eyes cold and calculating.

"Wanda has done some pretty despicable things, but it was sort of...you know...glossed over...at least up until she tried to kill herself."

"I heard about that. Jean volunteers at the hospital and found out...she even had Charles come in and try to help, not that his help was accepted."

Remy frowned, "Magneto let me believe that Xavier _had _tried to help and couldn't do anything."

"No...he was turned away."

"Is it true then that the Professor refused to help build the evolution machine?"

Wolverine's expression became vague, "I don't know about that. All I know is he's offered his help to try and get through to Wanda...and Magneto reiterated he doesn't _want _Charles interfering."

"Sounds like him," snorted Remy.

"So he gave you every indication he'd asked Charles for help?"

"He made some comment that the guy wouldn't...I don't know, god the whole thing went by so fast...one minute it was a meeting, the next I was being _fired_! And now...now Magneto is gonna rush to build this machine, without breaks, probably without sleep, because he thinks it's going to fix whatever is wrong with Wanda. But Rogue is the fucking test subject...whatever goes wrong, she's gonna be the first one to catch the effects..."

The older man's face became tight, his eyes squinting.

"Does she know?"

"You think I'd have walked out without makin' sure she _knew_ the purpose she's about to serve to that maniac?" Remy asked in disgrace. "Of course she _knows_ it. She's fully aware of it. She stood there and sided with Magneto over it...and me? I got _put out _for trying to stop her!"

"You really need to talk to the Professor about this," said Wolverine. "Maybe he can get through to Magneto..."

"Doubtful," Remy shook his head. "I've seen Magneto like this before...he goes into this kind of...manic calculatin' evil mode. He doesn't listen, he doesn't reason. He just _does _whatever the fuck he does until it works or goes wrong, and then he comes to his senses. I don't think anythin' will get through to him."

"Then maybe Charles can get through to Rogue," Wolverine responded.

"What good do you think that's gonna do? I couldn't even get through to her...not even after-" he stopped himself, reminding himself certain things should be left private, that certain things probably shouldn't be shared with the man who had already warned him to not get romantically involved with the girl.

"Even after what?"

"Nothin'," Remy shook his head at himself.

"Listen," Wolverine reached across the table, grasped the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, as he spoke his spittle practically splattered on Remy's face, "I ain't got time to pussy foot around your teenage drama shit. If you expect us to help you then we need to know _everything."_

As intimidated as Remy was, he kept his cool and stared at Wolverine directly in the eyes and uttered, "I told her I was fallin' for her...we...got into a relationship. Even then...she didn't budge."

Wolverine rolled his eyes, "Gambit, you fu-" he shook his head, letting go of him.

Remy stared down at the table uneasily, feeling guilt beginning to eat at him again.

Slamming his fist on the table, rattling the bottles, Wolverine demanded, "are you crazy?!"

Remy stared across at him. _Probably,_ he thought.

"You should have _never _tried to get into a relationship with the girl. That was only more likely to drive her to do this rather than stop her!"

"I know that...now," Remy responded regretfully.

"Didn't it occur to you _why _I tried to warn you off?!"

"Well..." Remy began he paused, "I thought I was gonna be able to convince her that she didn't need to be able to touch me to be with me...that maybe it would at least bide us some time until...some other kind of intervention."

"You idiot," Wolverine growled.

"Look, if it hadn't been for Wanda, it'd have _worked_. It was Wanda...runnin' her mouth off about what me and her had done together...I think that's what put Rogue in the mindset that she _has_ to do this now. Not to mention she wants to go through with this partly for Wanda's sake too. Thinks she somehow owes it to her..."

"Yeah, that's Rogue. Always the martyr," Wolverine muttered, he sipped from his beer.

Remy stared down at the table, feeling very lost. Where to go from here? "Can your professor do anythin' to stop this?"

"I don't know. He can be quite persuasive, but Magneto isn't going to allow himself to be manipulated into giving up these plans. And Rogue is too set on having what she wants to let herself be talked out of it. There may be very little anyone can do. Charles and I both tried, and failed, and you've tried, and failed. If we try to make threats, it could turn ugly and I know the kind of things Magneto is capable of in preventing people from getting close to his territory when he doesn't want them there."

"So what am I meant to do now? Let it run it's course? Let Rogue possibly _die_?"

Wolverine took a long sip from his beer, then pointed at him, "you'll stay with us tonight."

"But-" Remy began, blinking.

"It's too late to do anything tonight. Whatever this thing is that Magneto is building, there's no way he's gonna finish it tonight. Nothing will happen, Rogue is safe for the moment."

Remy sighed. He supposed the man was right. It was too late to do anything now, and there wasn't any way in hell the man could finish that big mess of machine that had been scattered all over the floor in his office in one single night.

"We'll talk Charles through everything you've just told me and hopefully, in the morning, he'll be able to find a way to get through to Magneto or Rogue."

Remy put the beer down, he didn't feel much like drinking tonight, regardless of how much he wanted to be able to forget his woes. All the alcohol and drugs in the world weren't going to fix this. All drink ever seemed to do was black out the night he'd been drinking on, not the memories that preceded it.

"Stay with the X-Men..." Remy said with a little uncertainty.

"You got somewhere better to go?" Wolverine snorted.

He supposed staying with the X-Men was a step up from lowering himself to sleeping at The Bayville Best again. The Bayville Best after all was _barely _a step up from his damp bedroom at the warehouse. "Fine," he finally responded with a sigh. He just hoped that the morning would bring answers to all of his problems.

* * *

Rogue sighed as she stared across the dark woodlands; she was standing on the fire escape balcony outside of her room, holding onto the metal railing. The trees were swaying in the wind, slightly lit up by moonlight that every now and then peered from behind the rain clouds.

She should have been happy. The decision to push ahead the plans for the machine had been exactly what she'd been hoping for. But she couldn't feel happy about it, not after what had happened in Magneto's office. With the misery came the questions that kept rearing their ugly little heads, and she had to keep asking herself why had she not fought for Remy's right to stay in the team?

_Even if Magneto hadn't asked Remy to go, Ah think he was already gearin' up to just walk out anyway,_ Rogue thought. It seemed to her things had been building and it had only been an eventuality that he would finally go. _When Ah told him that Ah'd asked Magneto to not send Wanda away...Ah saw that look on his face. This was bound to happen sooner or later._

Still. She wished he hadn't just walked out without fighting for his right to stay. His going left a horrible emptiness within her. Falling for him had been a surprising and fast turn of events, and indeed, so had the reciprocation. But his going so soon after their establishing the foundations of a relationship...it hurt immensely. And it left a void.

She supposed in the end that void was her own doing. She'd made the void herself through her difficult choices.

_But Ah had to choose,_ she decided, trying to justify the events to herself. _Ah only have to look out for one person and think about one person's feelings and that's myself. What if Ah did listen, and miss my opportunity to be _normal _just because Remy asked me not to do it? If he ran off with some other girl after, then...Ah'd be stuck this way forever. Magneto might never give me another chance._

Rogue hated herself for thinking these things. Somehow in her heart she felt that Remy _wouldn't_ have run off with anyone and she wanted to believe that they'd have been together forever. However her head spoke logically and her logical feelings were quite different. In her mind, she knew Remy LeBeau was capable of deceit, betrayal and selfishness and that he could leave and take up with someone else, that his feelings could change as quickly as the weather.

He'd barely been gone five hours but already she missed him. The warehouse felt oddly empty without him there...she'd never quite spent any time there with him _not_ there. It was almost as Remy were the beating heart of the building, the one that pumped life into it.

_Five hours he's been gone...and already it feels less like home than it did,_ Rogue thought uneasily as she gazed upon the dark view.

Where would Remy go now? Would he go back to Louisana? Would he go back to the life of crime he'd desperately wanted to avoid (or so he'd said).

_Why did he have to pick the fight right in front of Magneto. Why did Ah let him insist on comin' into that goddamn room. Ah shouldn't have let him. If we'd had that conversation in private, it wouldn't have ended that way. _

"Is beautiful view at night, no?"

Rogue had not heard the squeak of the metal door opening, nor the heavy footsteps of Piotr Rasputin as he'd come to join her on the balcony. It was strange, she thought, how preoccupation seemed to dull the senses incredibly. She sighed and turned to look at him, "Ah guess."

"You seem troubled."

"Ah'm just tired," she lied.

"I see," Piotr looked around, "Have you seen Remy? I need to ask something about next training session."

"Remy left," Rogue sighed as she looked back to the view.

"He _left?"_ Piotr sounded quite astounded.

"Actually no, he didn't _leave, _he was _tossed out," _Rogue uttered angrily, wishing she had not let Magneto throw Remy out. _Ah should have done more, shouldn't have just stood there and said nothin' as Remy walked out. "_Magneto asked him to go."

"This...is troubling," said Piotr, "why did he do this?"

"Because...Remy didn't agree with somethin' Magneto wants to do...Ah guess," she tried to be as vague as possible. She wasn't sure she wanted Piotr knowing about all that had happened. She was sure Remy wouldn't appreciate being talked about much further. "He...didn't even put a fight up. Just...left."

_God, the look on his face when Magneto spoke about the rape...he looked so...angry and hurt. Ah've never seen him look so dark,_ Rogue remembered, shuddering a little at the thought of it all. It'd been horrible, and she'd never expected it to come out in such a way. _He probably feels humiliated now...Ah guess Ah can't blame him for that._

_ "_I am not surprised that he left without fight," Piotr responded, "I have seen it over his time here that he would eventually leave."

Rogue tilted her head to look at Piotr, "did he ever say anythin' about it?"

"No. But I saw how serious he was, and how very unhappy."

"Why do you think he was unhappy?" Rogue asked softly, she leaned on the rail casually and stared down at the ground.

"He would never say. I would ask but he would keep things quiet. He is always very quiet about how he feels. He does not speak about personal things. Unless he is drunk, of course."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "he get drunk a lot?"

"Not very, only five or six times since I have known him in past year," Piotr shrugged.

"So, uhm..." Rogue chewed the inside of her cheek and averted her eyes, "what...kind of things does he say when he's drunk?"

"That he has had...shitty life," Piotr said, "if you pardon my bad language."

Rogue gave a vague laugh, "don't worry. It doesn't offend me. What else has he talked about?"

"I...really should not divulge. These are things he said in confidence."

"In my experience he never remembers what he does after he's been drunk...so..." Rogue shrugged.

Piotr scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "He once complained of feeling very...exploited. I was not sure what this word means...I would look it up in dictionary if I owned dictionary."

Rogue's stomach churned a little, "used," she responded uneasily. "It means...used."

"I see," responded Piotr.

"Anything else?"

Piotr scratched the back of his neck, "he has not said anything specific, but I know he feels very deeply for you..."

Rogue turned to stare at him, her stomach seemed to churn even more.

"I see way he looks at you...he has never had that look for other girl. And I've seen him with many girl..."

She stared down to the floor uneasily, and hugged herself.

"The look he has for you reminds me of way my father looks at my mother...something very deep that is unsaid."

Rogue sighed, but she could find nothing to respond with.

"I cannot understand why you did not go with him," Piotr turned to look at her, "I know you feel the same. I can see it in your eyes too."

"Ah can't go...not yet," Rogue shook her head.

"Why?" Piotr asked, "What do you have to lose?"

"Everything," she replied quietly, "my only hopes of ever bein'...normal."

"This what the experiment with your powers was about?" he asked, only reminding her of how badly she'd drained him at Magneto's command. The memory made her uneasy, had her almost doubt that she should trust Magneto.

"Yes," Rogue responded, "Magneto is goin' to help me control my powers...and Remy doesn't agree with it. Thinks Ah'll be hurt."

"Maybe you should trust Remy's judgement," Piotr shrugged. "He...does not make foolish mistakes."

_He's made quite a few,_ Rogue thought.

"Are you doing this for him?" Piotr asked.

"Not...totally..." she admitted truthfully.

"Perhaps that is why he left without fight."

"Huh?"

"Well..." began Piotr with a sigh, "I was always taught that when you fall in love you choose the other person's feelings over your own. You make sacrifices."

Rogue shook her head, "This _is _a sacrifice. Don't you get it? If Ah stay how Ah am now...Ah can't give him what he needs..."

"Has he _asked_ anything of you?"

"No."

"Given any hint of what he want?"

"No..." Rogue responded.

"Has he told you what he need?"

"Well...no..." she stammered.

"Then how would you know?" Piotr asked.

"Ah just...Ah know..." she tried, "he hasn't gone more than a week without it...and with me, that could go on...forever. If Ah don't do somethin' about my powers then he's stuck not gettin' the enjoyment out of life that he could be havin'. Why should he be the one to lose out because of what Ah am?"

"It seems to me..." began Piotr, his expression serious and almost angry, "that you are making excuses. If you are doing this for yourself, then you should not try to justify it as being for him."

Rogue wished she weren't so transparent. Her cheeks flushed crimson and her lips trembled.

"I do not blame you for wanting control of your powers. I know these things are hard for you, I know it must hurt great deal," Piotr admitted, "but to go to Magneto to try to...cheat...for control...it does not seem like working plan. I can understand why Remy would want to talk you out of such silly idea."

"It's not a silly idea," Rogue responded indignantly. "It's worked before on others," she explained, "and it's going to work again."

"And you know this for sure?"

"Yes," Rogue responded, "Ah know Ah'll come out of this stronger with more control than Ah ever had. And Ah'll have the ability to live a normal life as well as a mutant one. It'll change my quality of life..."

"Are you sure of this?"

Rogue had to ask herself if she _was_ sure. Could she really guarantee this would work? _It has to. Magneto isn't going to put Wanda through this machine unless it works...and he's rushing to build it for her. He's going to be careful, he isn't gonna __leave anything to chance...he never does._

_ "_Well?" Piotr asked.

"Yes," Rogue nodded. "Ah know Ah'm going to come out of this fine. And Remy has nothin' to worry about."

"Then I wish you luck. I hope you achieve everything you hope you will," Piotr turned to head for the door. "It is just a shame that it has to cost you what might have been a very good relationship."

"Do you think I'm selfish?" Rogue asked quietly before he had the chance to leave her there.

Piotr stood for a moment, contemplating. "No," Piotr shook his head, "Selfishness suggests that a person only thinks of their own self when making a decision. That their decisions only affect themselves and they do not care about the outcome nor the effect it has on others. I do not see you as that person. I do however see you as a person who is putting herself first..."

"Isn't it the same thing?" she asked, somewhat confused.

"No," Piotr shook his head softly, "because when you put yourself first, there is always someone being put second..." he paused for a moment, "I can understand why Remy would not put up fight in leaving."

"Oh?" she dared to ask.

"No one has ever really put him first."

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Six**

* * *

**I apologise that this part was uploaded far later than I intended. My internet was cut off and so I was unable to get anything put up! Slightly shorter chapter this time around, but hopefully you all like it. Thanks to all for the awesome reviews, they make my day (especially the very long, insightful thoughtful ones). Hoping to get more parts up in the next few days :)**


	37. magneticattractionpart37

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Seven**

* * *

Remy LeBeau felt strange waking up in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar house. It wasn't the first time he'd awakened in unfamiliar territory, but waking up in the X-Men's home was a different experience from that altogether.

The guest room he'd been put in was an attic room, and it was painted magnolia and the bed linens were crisp white and clean and incredibly soft to the touch. Even the pillows were good quality and down, not the flat cotton fibre that he'd been sleeping on at the warehouse.

There was dull wintery morning sunlight sifting through the window blinds, yet even then the room seemed bright and cheery. A warm, inviting room that someone would _want _to wake up in, not four damp brick walls with no window and a stone floor. A huge comparison to the warehouse.

Sitting up, Remy stared around the room, his mind reeling from the night before.

_I should have never walked out without a fight,_ he told himself, for what felt like the thousandth time. Even though he had barely drank at all the night before, his head was pounding this morning as if he'd spent the entire night drinking. Another stress related headache, he presumed.

He dressed slowly, and although he had ever rarely done so at the warehouse, he made the bed neatly, going so far as to even straighten out the sheet he'd slept on top of, and making sure the covers were perfectly straight. He wasn't sure why this felt so important, as they'd probably strip the bed and wash the sheets the moment his ass was out the door.

_Yeah, minute I'm out of this place, those sheets are probably gonna be in a boil wash with bleach, _he reckoned. _A precaution in case I brought in anything with me like pubic lice or some shit,_ he mused.

In a mirror above a plain pine dresser, his reflection stared back at him, unshaven, hair unkempt, and his ear blistered and slightly bloody where a scab had accidentally been knocked off during his sleep. He wondered if he'd bled on their pillows, and thought it in poor taste if he had.

It was odd, he thought, how in this dull morning light in an unfamiliar room he looked so very different to how he'd always thought he looked. He was known to be an exceptionally good looking young man, but as he stared at himself there now, eyes dark beneath, face slightly pale from just waking, the creases of the pillowcase leaving dents on his left cheek, and a his eyelids puffy and slightly pink, he thought he looked older and sickly, just as he felt on the inside.

_This is what being in that godforsaken place has done to you, Remy LeBeau. You let the people and the job drain the life and light right out of you and all that's left is this old looking asshole in the mirror. _

He sniffed, feeling quite upset with this and he looked away from the reflection, it making him quite queasy. It was hard looking at himself good and hard and seeing himself in a different way. He supposed he was going to have to get used to that from now on. He'd always seen himself the same as he had when he was in his teens, but now, he saw a man there, and not the man he'd ever wanted to be.

But who did he want to be? All he knew was who he _didn't _want to be. The _asshole_ in the mirror looked too damn close to that guy.

A loud knock at the bedroom door disturbed him from his dark thoughts, and he turned to stare at the panelled door, sighed and responded, "yeah?"

The door opened, and Wolverine was standing there, he looked much more awake than Remy felt. Despite he'd obviously shaved since last night, the man already had an impressive growth that Remy wondered was partly due to his healing factor and the regeneration of hair and tissue. He made a mental note to perhaps ask him if this horrible ordeal ever passed. It didn't seem quite fitting to ask it now.

"Charles wants to see you."

Remy pushed himself away from the dresser, and stretched a little, "I thought you'd have filled him in on everything there was," he admitted as he followed Wolverine out of the room, and down a narrow staircase which led into an incredibly tiny room which was filled with nothing but coats on hangers.

"Already have, but he wants to go over some things with you," explained Wolverine casually.

Remy frowned as Wolverine opened the door to lead out into a hallway further along, "is this a closet?" he asked, patting a hand against the wall next to a rail a few coats were dangling from.

"Yeah," Wolverine shrugged, "used to be servants living quarters up in the attic rooms...had to go through the closets to get to them. Staff in those days were always tucked away up in tiny little rooms, never to be seen or heard...long as they did their jobs."

Remy snorted, "sounds like working for Magneto," he admitted. "Never to be seen or heard, just do the shit you're told to do and keep out of the goddamn way."

"I wouldn't doubt it."

They walked through the winding halls of the mansion, down staircases, and along halls with deep mahogany wainscotting and immaculately painted walls. Hardwood floors gleamed underfoot, slightly creaking under the weight of Wolverine's adamantium skeleton. Remy admired the original Tiffany wall lamps, and the brass doorknobs. It took his mind only briefly off of his woes before he arrived to Xavier's office.

Wolverine didn't even knock on the door, but opened it and gestured for Remy to step in first. A real wood fire crackled in an old hearth, and the office was completely panelled in rosewood. The room smelled like beeswax polish, and reminded him of stealing from manor houses and mansions during his days as a thief.

_It's funny how a smell can take you back in time,_ he thought as he sneakily ran a hand along the top of a console table as he passed by, noting there wasn't a speck of dust to be found. He wondered how this place stayed so immaculately clean. Were there staff here or did the kids do all the chores?

Professor Xavier was sat behind a beautiful old mahogany desk, the thing was carved extensively, a true example of impeccable craftsmanship. There was something comforting and warm about old furniture that Remy had always appreciated, and it made this place feel rather warm and inviting, just as all the other areas in the mansion he'd seen were. Xavier gestured to a chair on the other side of the desk, a chair that almost matched the desk (except Remy was trained enough to spot that it was reproduction, as there was no way an antique would ever have castors like this (they were designed to be kind to the real wood floors).

"Good morning, Gambit," said Professor Xavier warmly.

Remy sat down slowly and stared across at the older man. He was sharp looking, impeccably dressed, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to see right through him. Remy wondered, with the telepathic skills this man possessed, whether he could really do so or not. Instead of responding with the same greeting, Remy vaguely nodded.

Hearing the door shut behind him, Remy turned to look and found that Wolverine had left him in the office alone with the Professor. _Thanks for ditching me, asshole,_ thought Remy at Wolverine in disdain. He turned back to the Professor, and just to be curious he thought at him _Hello._

The Professor raised an eyebrow at him, "is something wrong?"

_Can't read my thoughts? _Remy wondered.

"Gambit?"

"Sorry," Remy blinked, "I just thought you'd be able to read my mind."

"I'm not in the habit of invading peoples thoughts without permission," said the Professor seeming slightly agitated by the assumption. "Unless you would rather I just do so and save yourself the explanation."

Remy leaned forward a little, resting his elbows on his knees, "go for it," he dared. He was curious. Just _how_ powerful was this man?

The Professor took a moment, and frowned, "You're blocking me," he responded.

_"_Not on purpose," Remy confessed, he sat up straight.

"How did you sleep?" asked the Professor casually, changing the subject.

"Fine...I guess..." Remy said, feeling slightly unsure of this, "but I'm guessing that's not really what you want to know, is it?"

"I have been filled in on what you and Logan discussed last night," explained the Professor coolly, "But I would like to hear in your own words what did happen before I attempt to contact Magnus and ask him what is going on."

Remy sighed, "fine."

"How did this all start?"

"It started with Wanda and her...psychotic mood swings, I guess," Remy responded, "she's..."

"Having issues," said the Professor, trying to be polite about it.

"I was going to say batshit crazy, but 'issues' works fine too," Remy frowned. "How honest do you want me to be?" he asked carefully.

"How honest do you wish to be?" asked Charles Xavier, his eyes penetrating Remy's. Remy had the distinct impression the man was trying to dare him to be as honest as he possibly could.

Remy folded his arms across himself casually, he leaned back and sighed, "I've been sleeping with Wanda for about a month...I was, anyway. I knew she was...mentally ill...or disturbed...whatever you'd want to call it. I didn't know she was _that_ disturbed. Not until we started getting into...a lot of crazy stuff."

"_Crazy stuff,_" repeated the Professor, seeming quite concerned.

"Stuff that no normal eighteen year old girl I ever been with wants to get up to. I'm talkin' the stuff that even _older_ and _liberated _women would feel offended by..._"_

_ "_Oh dear," said the Professor, Remy thought for just a moment that the older man's cheeks turned strangely red. It might have just been the flickering of light from the fire though.

"I guess that should have been my first clue. But..." he shrugged, "you know...I'm...a guy..."

"Indeed."

"So...I went along with it...then Rogue came along and joined us," Remy continued.

The Professor leaned forward looking almost alarmed.

"Wait, I don't mean it like _that,"_ Remy corrected himself, he rubbed his throbbing head, "sorry...my head is pounding...I can't think straight..."

"Take your time..." the Professor said gently.

"Rogue came to join the team is what I meant...things were fine, but I could tell...you know, something was off about the reason why she was there...which I'm sure you knew."

"Yes," the Professor nodded.

"Me and Wanda were still sleeping together, and things were getting...messed up. I didn't want to be with her. I thought you know...taper off, just be friends, but Wanda wasn't interested in _that _kind of relationship. I just kept the peace with her because...she started acting really jealous with Rogue and I could tell something was gonna kick off. And it did...when she nearly killed Rogue in one of her crazed power rages."

"Yes, I'm aware of that incident," the Professor nodded. "Wolverine told me all he could about it."

"So...after that happened I made even _more _effort to keep the peace, tried to be _there _for Wanda...be her boyfriend, not just her lay but take things real slow. But she wasn't satisfied...I don't know if you know that Wanda is...uhm..." Remy tried to search for the words. "Persistent?"

"I'm somewhat aware of the issue."

"So...I broke it off with her...and she started acting more crazy. Well...crazy...that's an understatement. She got so strung out she just plain out attacked me...threatened to attack Rogue...then it all comes out from Magneto that this machine he's been building is for Wanda, _not_ Rogue."

Professor Xavier was listening, his expression dark.

"I told Rogue...and she's not really interested..." Remy rubbed his head. "Then to make matters worse, Wanda has this...I don't know...very bad day and tries to attack Rogue...it ends up bad, arguing with Rogue and Magneto...and somehow she ends up a wreck sobbing and having this panic attack thing which Rogue had to help her through because Magneto didn't even care enough to try and take care of her."

"Not at all?" asked the Professor.

"Accordin' to Rogue, the girl was curled up on the floor sobbin' her heart out and he wouldn't even try to comfort her or...tell her everythin' was all right..." Remy admitted, feeling strangely emotional himself at the thought of it. It must have been devastating for the girl, as much as he hated Wanda right now, he couldn't deny he felt quite sympathetic about this.

"I see," Charles responded, looking quite angry.

"Apparently Magneto tried to call the institution where he'd sent her before to have her sent back."

"He's getting desperate," commented the Professor, looking strangely saddened by this. "Was she refused re-admittance?"

"No. Rogue begged him to not send the girl back to that place – because that's probably what fucked her up so much in the first place. So Wanda was left in her room, and me and Rogue went off to try and chill out and calm down from what happened over that past few days. Early next morning, I wake up to go take a leak and find puke all over the warehouse and Wanda in a coma from an overdose – she took all these stupid anti-psych medications that she had in her room..."

Charles Xavier blinked, "Magneto allowed her to medicate _herself_?"

Remy snorted, "don't think I didn't ask the _same thing_," he retorted. "You just don't _do _that with a girl that psychotic."

Xavier gave a sigh and shook his head slightly in disgust, still listening, "what then?"

She was _barely _in the hospital a day and a half and her dad drags her ass out of there giving excuses about how she's not stable enough to be in there."

"Magneto brought her _home?!" _the Professor blinked, his expression full if distress.

"Yes...he has her doped up...she don't look well...she isn't well enough to be out of twenty-four hour care yet and he brought her out!"

"Did you confront him?"

"Before we even could, _Magneto_ comes to me and Rogue and says that this is what's gonna happen; he's gonna rush to build this evolution machine, that Rogue is gonna be the test subject. I disagree, Rogue _agrees_ with Magneto that this is the right thing to do. _I _get kicked out...I end up on the streets until Wolverine found me, and that led me here..."

The Professor took a moment to think about these things, then admitted, "Magneto does not like defiance. Especially not when it interferes with his plans."

Remy snorted, "yeah, tell me about it."

"The problem is that with Rogue's consent, there is very little I can do to talk him out of this idea. Rogue is the one that needs convincing that this step would be a foolish one to make."

"I've tried," Remy sighed, "I have tried so hard...and she doesn't want to listen. I got into a relationship with her, told her how I feel about her, tried to show her that there is a relationship that can go beyond without us needin' to be one hundred percent physical, but she's so determined to have what she wants that she ain't listening. She's too eager to jump the gun and isn't giving it the patience a decision like this really _needs. _I don't know what else to do. Magneto is manipulatin' her and I can't do anything to stop it...he has her wrapped around his goddamn finger."

"Manipulation has always been one of his talents," the Professor agreed, "and once he has gotten under a persons skin, it is very hard to get him out. I don't know if it is possible to get him out from under Rogue's skin..."

"Can't you use your powers on her?"

"It'd be unethical," the Professor sighed, "and even I _did _lack those ethics, Rogue is extremely hard to manipulate with my powers, within her psyche there are walls which are incredibly hard to penetrate. It is one of the reasons why I have always been unable to help her control her powers."

"So there's nothing. I'm here for nothing," Remy despaired.

"I'm going to visit tomorrow afternoon and attempt to talk him out of rushing the build on this machine."

"You're waiting until tomorrow?" Remy asked incredulously, "we can't afford to sit on our hands and wait until tomorrow!"

"I feel it is important that we allow the situation to settle first. I know my old friend, Gambit, and if I rush in too soon to interfere, he will be defensive, angry and unwilling to listen."

"Fine, so...what can I do?"

"I am hoping that while I go to speak with him, you can speak with Rogue privately and try to talk her out of her plans."

"It hasn't worked so far," Remy uttered.

"If Rogue cares for you then she will at least _listen _to you...at least enough to consider what you ask of her."

"I can't go near that place though," Remy reminded coolly, "I was practically _exiled_."

"You won't need to return, and I would not recommend you even attempt to," Professor Xavier opened a drawer in his desk, searched momentarily then drew out a piece of paper and placed it in front of Remy, "Here."

Remy curiously picked up the piece of paper, "What is this?"

"A schedule of Rogue's classes at college. You can catch her there without any interference from Magneto," the Professor explained, "this gives you the times of her classes, what time they end and which buildings the classes are in. On the back there is a map of the campus. With this, you should be able to find her."

"How very...thorough..." Remy said.

"She photocopied it and passed it to me for emergencies. There would often be times when situations would arise and we would need her assistance. This made it much easier to find her in those instances."

"And you kept it even though she's no longer one of you," Remy thought aloud.

"She never thought to ask for it back when she left," Professor Xavier explained simply. "And regardless of her leaving to join the Acolytes, she will _always_ be considered one of us."

Remy thought that almost touching. Rogue would never be anything over than one of the X-Men to them. He wondered if that was how his Guild saw things too.

"Okay, fine, I'll chase her up at school..." Remy finally agreed.

"Do be careful to not cause any scenes in public with her. While I realise the situation is distressing, please be mindful that she has to attend the school. You are able to walk away, but any of her class mates will notice any odd behaviour."

"In other words, I shouldn't be loud about our being mutants," Remy remarked irritably.

"Being mutant is nothing to be ashamed of, of course. But most of the student population at Bayville Community College are _not_, and some of their fathers are campaigning for mutant registration laws to be passed in this state. Any kind of attention you draw to yourself or Rogue could make Rogue's education there incredibly difficult."

"I understand. I'll be discrete," Remy assured, "as long as someone here can loan me a pair of sunglasses, I'm set."

"We'll find something for you."

Remy rubbed the back of his neck, "But what would I say to her...after walking out last night, I'm not sure she's gonna want to listen to me..."

_Besides which, I'm not sure I can stop myself from going off at her after how she told Magneto what Wanda did to me,_ Remy added in thought, feeling still quite angry.

"I'm sure you'll know what to say when the time comes. Just...tell her what's on your mind. Speak your feelings...Rogue has _always_ appreciated the truth. Be honest with her."

_How can you be honest? Being honest with her is only more likely to drive her to using that machine than make her forget her plans for it. Everything at this point just feels hopeless._

"Is there anything else concerning you?" asked the Professor thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Remy drew his breath, "I want you to do me a favour...if Rogue comes lookin' here today...you tell her I ain't here. If she calls, you ain't seen me."

"You wish me to lie?" Professor Xavier raised an eyebrow.

"I need some time to get my head around all this...to think of what I'm gonna say to her..." Remy explained, he frowned as he stared at the floor, trying to figure out how he would quite be able to face her.

"You seem angry."

"It's nothin'," said Remy.

"If there is something wrong, it is better to admit to it than to hold it in."

"I just...I'm pissed off with all this crap, is all," Remy stood up and moved to the window so he could check the weather outside. It looked a little frosty out.

"I understand it is frustrating," said the Professor, watching him. "It is difficult being in your position."

"I just don't understand how she could...trust him," Remy uttered coldly. _And betray me, _he added in thought.

"Rogue's decision is irrational to us, but in her own mind is the most rational decision she's ever made. I do not agree with it, but I understand it...I can understand _why _she believes it will be everything she wants it to be."

"I understand it," Remy responded, "believe me, I _get_ it. It's frustratin'. Especially for a girl who's enterin' into adulthood and bein' prevented from havin' an _life _because of her powers. But riskin' her _life_ over it?"

"I do not believe there is a risk of her life," said Professor Xavier after a moment, "I do however, believe that there are many complications that could arise from this machine, one of which could be utter devastation of her power. If her powers are accelerated at an unnatural rate, then they could be _more_ unpredictable and uncontrollable. There could be a risk of other lives."

Remy stared to the floor, "she's afraid that some day she'll be able to absorb people's powers and thoughts without even touching them..."

"If she risks this evolution, that _may_ still happen. There is no predicting what the outcome will be..."

Remy sighed, "I feel so fucking..." he clenched his fists, "helpless. Like ain't a damn thing I can do any more."

"Try to keep your spirits up, going in with a negative attitude will do nothing to help Rogue or yourself."

Feeling defeated, Remy shrugged, "fine, I'll try. Ain't gonna promise though."

* * *

Rogue hadn't slept. All night she hadn't been able to fall asleep regardless of how absolutely exhausted she felt and how close she felt to it. Just as she would find herself starting to drift off, the thoughts of how badly the night had panned out kept coming to batter her and it would seem to arouse her exhausted mind into a state of absolute alertness.

She couldn't get that very hurt and betrayed look of Remy's face out of her mind. It was _haunting_ her. She'd never imagined him looking quite that hurt. Stabbing him couldn't have made him look _that_ hurt.

"It's no wonder he walked out," she said to herself as she sat up and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was a strange silhouette in the pale sunlight coming through long shoebox window. "Ah should have kept my yap shut," she shook her head at herself as she got up and paced the room a little.

If she could do the whole conversation over again, she would change everything. She'd go back further, and never tell Magneto a goddamn thing. Except, turning back time wasn't a power she possessed. There was no point in thinking up the way things _could _have been handled better. Nothing could be changed now. There were no second-chances. All she could do was move on...find a way to fix the damage. She couldn't hit the load button and re-write history.

_What could Ah say to him to make him know Ah'm sorry?_ She wondered as she glanced towards her phone. She contemplated calling him. She was sure he would be awake at this time of the morning. He'd always been an early riser. First up, last to go to bed, that'd always been his way. The boy seemed to rarely sleep – one of many problems they seemed to share as of late.

Rogue swept her hand through her hair and with her other hand grabbed for the phone. She gave a sigh as she quickly sifted through the contacts list to find his name and she hit the call button before putting the thing on speaker phone. She didn't even _think_ about what she was going to say. _Ah'll know what to say when he answers,_ she decided. _Soon as Ah hear his voice, Ah'll know exactly what Ah need to say._

Unfortunately for Rogue, the call wouldn't connect. The number didn't exist. Had he gotten his number changed?

_He wouldn't do that, would he? _Rogue wondered as she stared at the phone. The contact had a picture of him attached; she'd taken the picture without his knowledge over a week ago when he'd been watching a movie with her. His profile was slightly highlighted by the light from the television in the photo, and his nose seemed sharper, but perfect and delicate, almost feminine. She ran her gloved fingers unhappily against the digital photo, wondering if she'd ever see him again.

_If Ah don't it's my own goddamn fault,_ she thought miserably. _But Ah had to make the choice...there wasn't any other way. Why doesn't he just get this could be a good thing for everyone _includin' _him. He won't be happy unless he has a relationship like he's _used_ to havin'. Holdin' my hand would never be enough for him and Ah can't go through havin' him just to lose him quickly because of the limitations._

Angrily she tossed the phone, and it hit the wall. She had expected it to break but instead the back merely came off and the battery popped out and flipped onto the rug with a soft thump. Grunting in disapproval, she got onto her knees and picked up the pieces, putting them together to see if it still actually worked. It seemed that the phone was in the same order it had been other than the time and date having been set back to default. She went to check her contacts, to see if they too, had wiped back to the default state the phone had been in. They had not.

_Maybe Ah should just...delete his number?_ Rogue wondered, feeling that perhaps his walking out had really been the ultimate breakup. Besides, the number didn't exist, it was no good keeping it anyway. With a sigh, she clicked on the contact for him and pushed on the edit number button.

It was then she noticed that Remy LeBeau's number in the phone seemed wrong. While most of the number remained hidden, the last three digits showed as 666 which she was almost positive it hadn't been.

_His number ended with 56...Ah know that, Ah remember putting it in there myself weeks ago. It wasn't 666, _she thought curiously as she selected the contact details to find that the address for Remy LeBeau was listed as 666 Evil Lane. The email address – which he'd claimed he'd never had – was listed as RemyLeBeau666 at a ' ' address.

"Goddamn it!" she hissed under her breath. "Either Remy's made a pact with the fuckin' devil or Wanda did this..."

Unfortunately there was no tangible version of his phone number in Rogue's possession. She hadn't memorized it or written it down. She'd simply put it in there one day so she'd know if it was him calling should any emergencies during class occur.

_He may have tried to call me and she's probably did the same thing to his phone,_ Rogue realised, she tossed the phone onto the bed and rubbed her face frustratedly. She wanted to slap the girl regardless of the bad condition she was in at the moment. _Ah suppose if Ah'd ever thought to try to call him before now Ah might have noticed this. How long has it been like this? How long have Ah had a load of 666's in my phone and never even known about it?_ She wondered. _Ah should have listened better when Remy said he thought all the phone problems we'd had lately had been Wanda._

She supposed there was no way to get back in touch with Remy now. _He's probably far out of town now. He said he'd been wonderin' why he'd stayed all this time, but now he has no reason to. He's probably halfway back to the south by now. And it's my own goddamn fault._

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Seven**

* * *

**A short part this time but the next few parts are somewhat longer by several pages so it should even out. I did intend for this to be finished in forty parts, but I think it might go to about forty-four, the way it's looking at the moment (hard to determine these things sometimes).**

**As always thanks for the awesome reviews. I love how there's a little debate going on with how rational/irrational Rogue's intentions with this evolution are. I love that there's differing opinions on the subject :D. As for the questions whether I intend to have Rogue change her mind or not, everyone will find out at the end of the story ;) I've had the ending written out in my head for some time, but I'm not going to give it away (I do love suspense and all). Can't wait to get the next few parts up soon. :) Hope you're all having an awesome Summer :) **


	38. magneticattractionpart38

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Eight**

* * *

Rogue's Sunday was rather uneventful; to try and avoid thinking of her woes, she spent most of it working with Lance to fix the problems with her car. After hours of toiling, of her assisting, somehow Lance had finally managed to get the thing working (for a fee, of course). She wasn't positive it would last for very long, but at least for now, she wasn't trapped at the warehouse any more – she'd be able to leave if she wanted.

Any time she passed by Magneto's office door she would cast her eyes upon it and wonder how much progress he was making on the evolution project. How many more days would it take? Her stomach fluttered like a jar of butterflies every time she thought of it. She could practically feel the wings vibrating with each little passing of the door and wondering how much longer...how much further?

That next morning, she forced herself to go to college even though she hadn't slept well and didn't feel much like going. She'd wanted to remain at the warehouse and wait to see if Magneto might need her assistance, but remembering that the Professor was _still_ paying for her education, she thought it important to hold up her end of the deal and actually _go_ to her classes.

All morning, she was preoccupied, barely managing to keep up with the course work. When Lunch-time arrived, she was surprised as she was leaving the building her English literature class was in that Remy LeBeau was waiting right outside, standing against a nearby lamp post in the courtyard, his arms folded, a pair of rather old fashioned dorky sunglasses hiding his mutant eyes from passing students sight.

He was quite unshaven, and his hair greasy. He clearly hadn't showered today. A little part of her strangely felt elated to see him, but other parts of her spoke of anger and hurt. She hadn't been quite prepared to see him yet and she hadn't even rehearsed what she might say to him if they _did_ run into each other again.

_He didn't go! He stayed!_ She thought. _Ah thought he'd be halfway to Louisiana by now...but he's here. He looks so tired..._

Insecurely, Rogue breezed by him, she'd fallen behind the rush of other students leaving the same building. She wasn't sure how to interact with him, and while she wanted very much to greet him warmly, she also felt like smacking him for walking out on her as he'd done, for _leaving _her there, for not even fighting for his right to stay.

"You gonna ignore me now?" he pushed himself away from the lamp post and caught up with her.

"Ah didn't ignore you," Rogue commented quietly, her eyes falling to the path as she headed towards the cafeteria building. "Ah saw you there."

"Why you just keep walkin then'?" he demanded quickly.

"Ah have to go eat, Ah don't have long."

"Are we going to talk about this?" Remy asked of her, walking at her side now, quickening his pace to keep up.

"What's to talk about?" Rogue frowned a little, "you walked out instead of fighting to stay. You dumped me in front of our boss..." she kept her voice quiet so that the other students ahead of her wouldn't hear. She felt Remy grab her arm to stop her and he turned her towards him.

"I didn't dump you," he kept his voice down too, "in fact...It felt like the _reverse _actually..."

Rogue snorted, and pushed him away, "you're going to accuse me of dumping you?"

"You chose Magneto over me," he reminded, looking quite distressed. "You said if I didn't agree with any of this then there was _nothing _left to say between us," he reminded.

"Ah didn't _mean _it like that," she huffed.

"He doesn't want what's best for you..."

"Neither do you. You want what's best for _you_, and that's _always_ what you've wanted. Ah've been askin' myself since you walked out what it is you have to _gain_ from me not goin' through with this...because you're so hell bent on stoppin' it that there has to be somethin'..."

Remy stared at her, there was a strange worried look on his face that she caught, but it was very brief, because he recomposed himself rather quickly, and his expression was rather casual again.

_God he's good at pretending nothing fazes him, _she thought dully. "There is something," she sighed.

"Yes," he shrugged. "I get to save you."

She didn't buy it, but he obviously was going to play games and she wasn't in the mood to stand around and listen to it. She turned and headed back towards the cafeteria building.

"Let me buy you lunch," he pleaded of her, "we can talk."

"There's nothin' left to talk about," Rogue sighed, she looked over her shoulder at him. "We don't agree...why bother even trying to talk about it?" she rolled her eyes.

Remy caught up to her and sighed too, "because I _love_ you."

Rogue stopped in her tracks, she stared away from him, clenching her fists. That was a low blow. Why did he have to do that? Was he trying to manipulate her?

"I'm _irrevocably_ in love with you..." he moved in front of her. "Everythin' in my life has been like I'm goin' through the motions...until you got here...it's like...I woke up..."

She stood staring at him, folding her arms and shifting from foot to foot awkwardly as he spoke.

"I didn't _ask_ for these feelings. It'd be easier if I didn't have them. But I do. I can't change that. All I think about...is you."

Rogue tried to meet his eyes through the sunglasses, "Ah'd be lyin' if Ah told you Ah didn't think about you...'cause Ah do..." she chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.

"But?" he asked, recognising that there _was _a but in there.

"But..." she continued unhappily, "There's somethin' Ah also think about all the time...and that's gettin' control of my powers. Ah've spent these last few years _caged_ by this, watchin' everyone around me move on, havin' relationships, bein' able to do the things Ah can't..." she swallowed, "And it's _my _turn now," she dropped her arms and gestured a little, "Ah want to have the things everyone else has..."

"Rogue..." he began carefully, "my chere..." he licked his lips, "you don't _need_ control of your powers to have passion and love, and pleasure..." he lowered his voice a little and reached to take her hands. She allowed him this, too mentally exhausted to push him away a second time. "I showed you...didn't I? That we _can_ have those things..."

"Ah..." she began, finding no words to finish with.

He tilted his head to look at her, "skip your classes for the day. Come with me, we'll ride out of this godforsaken town...we'll book a hotel room and stay there. And I'll give you everythin' you want. I'll make you feel like no human woman ever could..." he used that voice, that low, honeyed tone, seductive, sweet, almost hypnotic. "Period or no period, I'll give you the experiences you've always wanted..."

Rogue felt her legs go strangely weak as she thought of his touch before her period had ruined the moment, of watching his face at her own touch. She wanted that again. But she didn't _just_ want that. She wanted it much more intensely, and intimately. She wanted him in the way every other girl had had him and to be the _only_ one who ever would for the rest of their lives. But she couldn't have that. Not like _this, _anyway. Her lips trembled as she stared up at him, "Ah...Ah can't..." she shook her head, "Ah have rehearsals..."

"Please..." he pleaded of her, he raised his glasses to look at her, no students were near enough to notice his odd eyes. "I'll do anythin' I can to make you happy."

Rogue felt her eyes tearing up, he believed he could but she knew he couldn't. There was nothing _he_ could do. Only Magneto could. He was the one who had the power and knowledge to give her what would make her happy. "Can you?" she asked, "can you really?"

"I..." he began.

"Can you kiss me?" she asked.

He stammered, "I...no..."

"Can you touch my cheek without gloves?"

He blinked.

"Can you be _inside _of me...the way you were with Wanda...the way you have with probably _hundreds_ of other girls?" she asked pointedly.

Remy's eyes seemed strangely glassy, and he reached up and put the glasses back on, hiding this from her view.

_He can't even show me his vulnerability,_ she thought dully.

"There are things I can't give you...okay..." he finally said, sighing, "but...there are things I can do for you. It might take patience...time...experimentation...it would be a learning experience for both of us. But...who's to say it's not gonna be better than the real thing?"

"It won't be enough for you," Rogue shook her head.

"You can't tell me how I'll think or feel," he tried, "you don't know that."

"Neither do you," Rogue shrugged, "you don't know that playin' over the clothes is gonna be enough...you don't know that in two weeks you won't be bangin' on Wanda's door again lookin' to have her fuck you in the wild way only someone like her can..."

His face suddenly darkened, and he looked away from her, furious now, "you think I'd do that? Go back to a girl who _used_ me like that...that I'd be so desperate that I'd willingly fuck a girl who _raped _me."

Rogue realised her mistake, she hadn't even thought of this when the words had come pouring out of her mouth like a burst dam spewed water. "Ah..." she tried.

Remy shook his head, "in fact...you think I'd do somethin' so stupid as to go with _any _other girl...when I've finally figured out what it is I've been _missin'_ all this time? You think that I'm that _shallow_..."

"Ah've been in your head," she reminded, trying to justify the statement, wishing she could take it back.

"Not lately," he frowned, turning to look back at her again. "How about you take a stroll in it now, see how I _really _feel."

Rogue stepped back from him a little, her blood run cold at the thought of it. "No..."

"What are you scared of? That you'll be _wrong_? That you'll see everythin' I'm sayin' is real and that you _will_ change your mind?"

"Ah'm not going to change my mind."

"Then how about you take a few months before going through with it."

"Ah can't do that. Wanda needs this _now_."

"Then let _Wanda _be the first to go through the machine. If Magneto is _that _confident that his plans are going to go without a hitch, then he shouldn't _need _a test subject. Let Wanda be his test subject, and _you_ can go through when you know for _sure_ it works."

Rogue shook her head at him, "Ah feel like Ah'm goin' in circles with you."

"I'll go through circles with you again and again for eternity if it stops you making this horrible mistake."

"It's not a mistake," Rogue took off walking towards the cafeteria building again, and again, he stopped her.

"Why won't you give this a _chance_, chere? We've _barely _figured out how we feel...and you're trying to run straight for the finish line...why can't we take time and explore _this_ before you go through any life alterin' decisions."

"Because Ah have no quality of life like this," Rogue commented unhappily.

"Quality of life?!" he demanded incredulously. "You have great health, beauty, friends, an education...and a man who _loves _you," he pointed out, looking hurt, "what more quality of life is there? There are people out there stuck in wheelchairs locked in their own bodies without bein' able to speak or move...people in vegetative states, kids bein' born with horrible deformities and havin' the world ridicule them, people livin' in third world countries with AIDS, givin' birth to babies they can't afford to even feed. _Those_ people ain't got no quality of life, chere. You have an _affliction._ All right...it's a fucking bitch of one, you can't have sex, can't kiss. So what...plenty other stuff you can do. You have so much more than others ever will..."

Rogue felt her eyes growing misty, and she looked way, refusing to meet his eyes. She hated the way he made her feel so small like this.

"You don't _need_ to get your powers under control. You're doing fine without control."

She took a moment to try and prevent herself from letting any tears escape, "and what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Ah had to watch one guy Ah cared for move on to someone else because Ah wasn't able to give him what he wanted."

Remy scoffed, "no. You watched him move on to someone else because you sat on your fucking hands and didn't _tell_ him how you felt. Cyclops didn't forget all about you because you couldn't touch him. He had no clue. I spied on you, I _watched_ you with him and he was clueless. For all you know if you had told him it might have worked. But you didn't. The only person preventin' you from havin' him was _you_."

Frustrated, Rogue sighed, "it _won't_ be enough."

"What do I need to do?!" he demanded quite loudly; Rogue was thankful that all the other students had moved out of the vicinity to get lunch, as she'd have been humiliated at this point. "Do I need to go get myself castrated and live as a fucking eunuch just so you know I'll have no reason to look elsewhere for what you _think_ I need?!"

Rogue stammered, "no..."

"Chastity belt with you the only one holdin' the key? What do I need to fucking do?!" he demanded.

Rogue sighed, "Ah need to go..."

"You have forty minutes left," he stated knowingly.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Please...just think about this. I don't want to lose you."

She bit her lip and stared up at him, "you don't have to."

"What do I have to do, chere...?" he asked again, his voice thick. "What do I have to do to _prove_ to you that I love you?"

Drawing her breath, she said softly, "the day Ah go into that machine and come out cured, Ah want you there..."

Remy sighed, he looked away from her.

Rogue boldly reached up and took his face within her gloved hands to turn his head to look at her again. "If you love me...if you _really_ want to be with me..." she murmured, "you'll be there...standin' there...supportin' me."

"I can't..." he whispered. "I can't watch you into that thing...not knowin' if you're gonna make it out again..."

"Ah will...Ah promise..."

Remy said nothing, he just looked away again.

"Ah have to go..." she sighed.

Remy took a step back from her, shaking his head at her sadly. "You're really gonna leave it like this?"

"Ah've told you how it is, Remy. Ah've thought of it all logically, over and over again until my head hurts. This is how it has to be. If we're to...be together...then...it's up to you. You know what you have to do."

Unable to cope with the heartbreak of this conversation any more, she headed towards the cafeteria building, never even taking a single moment to look back.

* * *

Remy was so furious with his failure in the discussion with Rogue that he avoided going straight back to the mansion, not really feeling to be in the mood to relay the entire conversation and it's failure to the Professor. Instead, he went for coffee and tried to eat a croissant but could barely even force himself to finish chewing the first bite.

After wandering around the Bayville park for a little while to try and calm himself down, Remy returned back to the Xavier mansion. The gates were unlocked, and so he rode through straight on up the drive and to the front of the grand home, the bike skidded on the ice a little as he turned to park it. As he climbed off of his bike, he saw Wolverine exiting through the front door, a cigar in hand, a Zippo lighter in the other.

"How'd it go?" asked Wolverine gruffly, he put the cigar to his mouth and lit, the end turning bright orange.

Remy shivered in the cold, he glanced up as a light snow began to drift down from the pale grey sky. "How you think it went?" he asked pointedly. He came to stand under the porch.

"You don't look happy, so I'm going to go with the assumption that it went piss-poorly."

"Girl is as stubborn as an ox," said Remy unhappily as he put his helmet away and came up the steps, almost slipping on the ice. He played off his almost-fall and pulled his pack of cigarettes out, putting one to his lips and accepting Wolverine's lighter to light it. "I think she ain't gonna come around."

"Charles is gonna go soon to talk to Magneto," Wolverine exhaled a thick stream of smoke, the smell was strong and it hung in the air.

Remy inhaled his own cigarette, the warmth seemed to fill him, comforted him in spite of the cold. "Hopefully he has more success than I did," he muttered. "What the hell is up with this cold? Is this Storm's doin'?" he asked, gesturing to the sky.

"Nope, this is all just good old fashioned Bayville November. Winter usually starts fairly early here...we always get snow, with or without a weather witch."

"It's freezin'. I ain't got the clothes for this kind of weather."

"Sure Scott's probably got somethin' that would fit you," Wolverine shrugged.

"Ugh, no thanks. I've seen his warddrobe. If I want to dress like a preppy nerd, I can shop at the Bayville mall."

Wolverine chuckled, but after a moment, he became serious, "how did Rogue seem?"

"What do you mean?" Remy asked, flicking his ash into an ashtray Wolverine had left on an nearby windowsill.

"Did she seem...worried, or...doubtful?"

"No. Just tired. She just seemed tired...which is nothin' new. She's been sleepin' badly for weeks. Since she joined the Acolytes, more or less. She tosses and turns."

"And you would know that _how_?" Wolverine asked suspiciously.

"She told me," Remy lied. He wasn't sure he wanted to admit to the man that he and Rogue had shared a bed even in a platonic sense more than once. Wolverine probably had _ideas_ about how far the romantic relationship with Rogue had gone, but Remy was sure the sharing a bed would be frowned upon. Especially judging by that suspicious look on the older man's face.

"If she's tossing and turning that means she's probably not as confident about it as she thinks she is. There might be hope," Wolverine admitted.

Remy shook his head, "saw that look in her eyes. She's _sure._ There ain't no stoppin' her..." he sighed, "think it's time I just...faced the fact that...it's done. I ain't got a shot stoppin' her...and I can't sit and watch her do this so..."

Wolverine took a drag of his cigar, he exhaled, then said, "I doubt it matters. Like it or not, Gambit, if this thing works – and there's a chance of that so I hear – and she arrived at this doorstep cured of the powers that ruled her life up until now, you would have her in bed _faster_ than any of us could blink."

"No," Remy shook his head, "it's not like that with her."

"Bull," Wolverine rolled his eyes. "You're a pushover when it comes to sex. You slept with Magneto's daughter, and from what I've heard in rumour, you've slept with half the girls in this town – and that ain't a small number. You wouldn't pass up the opportunity with Rogue."

"Yes. Yes I would," Remy stared down at the floorboards, frowning. "I don't want another easy lay, man...I want...everythin' _else."_

_ "_Like?" asked Wolverine.

"The menstrual cramps, the mood swings, the arguin', the _sufferin',_ the passion, the laughin', the horror film conventions, the breakfasts at the diner, I want it _all_."

"No one is sayin' you can't have it...except you."

"If she goes through this thing, chance is another person is gonna come out...not the same Rogue."

"Are you afraid it won't work, or afraid it _will_?"

Remy thought about this, he raised his eyes to the man. He wasn't sure how to answer this.

"You ain't never had a relationship in your _life_, have you?"

Giving a vague shrug, Remy took a long drag of his cigarette and glanced away.

"I know your type. Never been rejected, never been dumped, never had a girl say _no_. Charmed your way into every girl's panties, never had a day of heartache or honest to god feelin' for anyone but yourself. 'Til you met _Rogue_ that is."

Remy sighed, "you done?"

"What do you want of her?"

"I want her to..." Remy tried to frustratedly answer, feeling strangely emasculated trying to explain this to the man, "to just _want_ me...to give a fuck about my feelin's. To at least _care_ enough about my goddamn feelin's to at least give this shit a second thought!" he yelled suddenly, feeling quite angry. In frustration, he kicked over a nearby planter, spilling the compost over the floorboards. It hadn't been in his intention, he'd thought the thing would have remained intact but it cracked into several pieces, and the roots were left exposed. He felt a little like that plant, as if Rogue had kicked and left him exposed at the roots too.

"That plant did nothin' to deserve that," said Wolverine staring down at the mess.

"Sorry."

"You're cleaning that up."

Remy sighed, "where's the cleanin' supplies?"

"Closet under the stairs," Wolverine gestured to the house. "Listen, kid..." he stopped Remy just as he were about to head inside after stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Like it or not. This may happen regardless of how much we try to interfere. You need to prepare yourself for the eventuality that she _is_ gonna do this."

Remy stared down to the ground.

"Now...what happens _after_ that...it's up to you. If it works or if it _doesn't_, there's feelin's there between you that don't just go away because you had an argument about who was right about this or who hurt whose feelin's..."

Remy bit his tongue. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say but he felt like snapping at the man anyway. He thought it ill advised and managed to keep himself in check.

"Charles and I will go see the maniac and see what we can do to talk him out of it, or Rogue. If not, we may _all_ have to just accept some things can't be changed..." Wolverine shrugged. "If you _care_ about Rogue, and you want her to care about you, then take my advice...be there for her regardless. Just like the rest of us will. And if at the end of the day, you need someone to be there when _you _decide it's time to make your own mistakes, you'll have someone to be there for you too."

Sighing, Remy turned towards the door, he placed his hand upon the knob, but paused, "ain't ever had anyone to tell me how to stop makin' mistakes since the day I was born. Got so used to just...predictin' when they were gonna be made so I could avoid makin' them..." he uttered under his breath, he glanced over his shoulder, "didn't predict that I was gonna feel anythin' for Rogue though."

"Your feelin's for Rogue aren't a _mistake_, LeBeau. They're probably the one _honest_ thing you've ever had goin' for you."

"Are you givin' me your blessin'?" Remy snorted.

"No. I'm givin' you my opinion. And if you don't clean that shit up, I'll give you my foot up your ass."

"Of course."

* * *

Rogue's last class had been her drama class, which had gone very badly. She'd forgotten most of her lines and her professor had been furious, told her that she'd been slacking, and that she wasn't taking the part seriously enough now. How well she'd done only days ago and suddenly become so incompetent.

She supposed she'd have focused on her lines much easier if she'd been able to concentrate on the script she'd been reading during her lunch break, as opposed to spending the entire time thinking about Remy LeBeau's visit to her.

_Maybe Ah should just drop out,_ she thought drearily as she made her way to the parking lot to meet Piotr who had promised to pick her up today. _Ah don't have the energy to commit to it, Ah'm screwin' up and Ah can't concentrate on it. There's just too much goin' on my life to deal with it. _

Piotr climbed out of his van as he saw her approach and gestured for her to climb into the drivers seat. The passengers side door had still never been fixed. It seemed to Rogue no one had luck with cars at the warehouse.

Rogue climbed in and dropped her backpack to the floor, sighing heavily as she pulled on her seatbelt whilst Piotr climbed in to do the same.

"How was your day?" asked Piotr politely. Piotr was so incredibly polite that Rogue had a hard time telling sometimes if he was genuinely interested or not.

"Rough," she responded quietly, rubbing her head.

"Did something happen?"

"Ah'd rather not talk about it," Rogue responded softly, she stared out of the window.

"Are you sure?" asked Piotr, staring the engine.

Rogue turned to look at him as he pulled the van out of the student parking area. "What makes you think somethin' happened?"

"You always look so angry when something bad has happened," Piotr responded, "and you look quite angry now."

She stared down at the dashboard and sighed, "Remy came to see me at school."

"He is still in town?"

"Ah don't know if he still is. He _was_. Ah don't even know how he knew where Ah would be at that time," she shook her head.

"What did he want?"

"To talk me out of wanting to fix my powers. He thinks Ah don't need to."

"He is just looking out for you," Piotr stated softly.

Rogue wondered if that was true. _Was _he looking out for her feelings, or simply just concentrating on his own? Or did he really have an ulterior motive to wanting to help her? When she'd brought it up he'd looked almost panicked for a split second. He'd let his guard down, but unintentionally, she'd known that by how quickly he'd tried to hide it and play it off. "Do we still need to go to the art store?" Rogue asked.

"I have been," Piotr admitted, "We are going straight home."

_Shame,_ thought Rogue. She didn't really relish the thought of being home right now, Wanda was home too, and everyone had to take turns to sit with her and supervise her while Magneto worked on the machine. Rogue hated the thought of having to sit with the girl. _How do you sit with a girl who tried to put her hand up your skirt? _Rogue wondered.

On the drive, both were quiet, they listened to a CD, which seemed to be some kind of odd Slavic rap music that Piotr appreciated, and Rogue couldn't stand the sound of. Still, it was better to listen to that than her own miserable thoughts.

_Ah should be happy, _Rogue reminded herself as Piotr parked the van in the yard outside the warehouse. _Ah'll get what Ah've always wanted soon._

Why did she feel so empty about that? Why did she feel _guilty_ about it?

As Rogue got out of Piotr's van after he did, she noted the Professor's black Rolls Royce Phantom was parked right beside Magneto's Lexus. She blinked.

"Someone is visiting," Piotr said, shutting the door behind her.

"That's Professor Xavier's car," she said quietly, gazing into the drivers window; no one was there. The car wasn't adapted for a disabled driver, so someone was in there with him. The smell of cigar smoke outside told her right away it was Logan.

"This is nice car," said Piotr appreciatively, "thing of beauty."

"Yeah, it's...real nice," Rogue said distractedly, "thanks for the ride," she said to him quickly before rushing into the warehouse to find out what was going on. Upstairs in the living room area, the television was blaring, and it seemed to be MTV that whomever up there was watching. Rogue certainly didn't see the Professor nor Logan anywhere nearby, and realised the must have been in the office with Magneto.

Unfortunately that door couldn't be eavesdropped through.

She dropped her bag and sat on the floor, watching as Piotr passed her by distractedly carrying bags of art supplies and an armful of easels. _Maybe he should paint Wanda...she'd probably be more than willing to pose for a nude,_ Rogue thought dryly as she sat there waiting.

It was only five minutes before the door to the office opened, and Logan stood there, gazing out at her curiously, "are you coming in or what?" he asked, as if her presence had been almost expected.

Rogue pushed herself up from the floor awkwardly, and dusted her backside off of dirt, "how'd you know Ah was here?"

"Professor sensed you, I smelled you," said Logan.

_Oh god, Ah hope he couldn't tell Ah'm on the rag,_ Rogue thought feeling quite disturbed by this revelation of Logan's. His sense of smell was superior, and it _must _have been obvious surely. She gave him a questioning look as she passed by him to enter the room, but he said nothing.

"Rogue, please, take a seat," said Magneto, who was standing near the wall looking strangely irritated. Rogue realised at once he had not wanted visitors today.

Rogue sat down on the chair which had been placed a foot away from the Professor's wheelchair. Professor Xavier turned and gave her a warm smile, and spoke coolly. "It is good to see you. I had hoped we may speak with you before we leave."

"What's goin' on?" Rogue asked uneasily as she placed her hands in her lap, she glanced between the three. Logan moved to lean against a nearby wall casually, folding his arms, his expression almost bored.

"Charles has come to discuss your evolution," said Magneto quite coldly, "apparently Gambit has been divulging information that he should have not divulged."

Rogue turned to Professor Xavier and questioned him with her eyes. Was this what Remy had been hiding? Had he been spying for the X-Men all this time? Passing information?

"You know my feelings on this," the Professor said carefully, he pulled the chair out a little and swiftly turned it so he could face her. "Rogue, Gambit explained to me what is happening, and I am quite appalled. I understand the situation, but I must beg of you to please reconsider going through with this accelerated evolution."

"Ah've already made up my mind, you know that," Rogue quietly stated, trying to remain calm. She was sick of going through these arguments.

"Do you understand the risks?" the Professor asked carefully.

"Yes."

"And you still will not reconsider?"

"Ah've told you. My mind is set," Rogue responded.

"You see, Charles?" asked Magneto, he too folded his arms and gave a deep sigh, "I have explained to you that Rogue is her own person and cannot be easily swayed. She has her goal and she will achieve it. Nothing will stop her."

Rogue felt oddly complimented by the way Magneto put it, he sounded almost as if he were in admiration of it.

Professor Xavier thought of this, he turned back to Rogue, "you understand my ethical position on this, don't you?"

"What do you mean?" Rogue queried uncertainly.

"That I do not agree with this process, that the very thought of it goes against everything I have tried to work for and that I have taught you and the others I have cared for..."

"Ah know that," Rogue assured quietly.

"Then you will understand how hard this will be for me," sighed the Professor, he frowned and looked at Magneto. "Magnus, I will help you build the machine."

"Charles, I do not need your help."

"You may not need it, but you will have it," said the Professor, his voice cold and quick.

"But you don't agree with it..." Rogue gaped at the man.

"I do _not_ agree and never will. A forced and accelerated evolution is against the very nature of the genetic gifts we are given. Nothing good can truly come of this. If I cannot prevent this travesty from taking place then I shall at least try to provide some kind of damage limitation by being here to help build this machine. It is the only way I can think of that I can try to protect you, as I always promised myself I would..." the Professor took Rogue's hand and squeezed it.

Rogue stared into his piercing eyes and tried to read him. _Oh my god! Is he serious? Is he actually going to _help_ Magneto?_

"Do not be foolish to think there would _be_ any damage. I do not make mistakes," said Magneto warningly to the Professor.

"There is always room for error, Magnus. To err is one of our most basic human flaws."

"I am not _human,_ I am _mutant," _Magneto reminded flatly, "and I do not want, nor need, your help. You are not welcome in this project."

"Is that all this is to you, Magnus? A project?" the Professor asked carefully.

"Of course it is not!" hissed Magneto. "This...this is the only hope I have of saving my daughter's tortured mind. Of course it is not a project. It is..."

"A cure?"

"Her _salvation."_

Rogue stared at Magneto. He sounded so almost...maniacal. Like a raving lunatic. It reminded her vaguely of the religious zealots who would hang around the college campus handing out fliers for their deities talking about deliverance.

"Ask Rogue what she thinks," Professor Xavier offered hastily without so much as a thought.

Rogue blinked, "me?"

"Would you rather Magnus worked alone, rushing to build a machine that could alter you for the rest of your life, potentially damaging you a number of ways...or would you rather he had assistance, who can help limit any potential negative outcomes."

Rogue stammered, "well, Ah...uhm..."

"I am capable of building the machine alone without assistance, Rogue," Magneto assured confidently.

Rogue stared between the two of them. Both were calm, with calculating expressions, both confident and intelligent and _precise_. But there was something Magneto did have that the Professor didn't in this case. A look of _exhaustion_. His face was slightly unshaven, he looked rough and his face seemed to sag a little. He looked so much older than she remembered him looking. This was taking it's toll on him, and that wasn't a good sign.

_Just look at him...he looks drained. Should Ah really just let him build this thing on his own? Without help? He...might make mistakes. The Professor is right, it's possible, and it's only human to make mistakes after all._

For the first time ever as Rogue looked at him, she saw the resemblance between Magneto and Wanda. Not just physically, but in their behaviour. That same strange desperate determination that _their _way was the _only_ way. As much as she trusted Magneto had the ability to help both her _and_ his daughter, she also felt some strange new sense of doubt.

_Ah know he can help evolve my powers,_ Rogue decided. _But he can't like this..._

"Well? What do you think, Rogue?" Logan chimed in.

Rogue felt like she was being asked to choose sides again, just like last night. Only now it wasn't between Remy and Magneto.

"Well..." Rogue spoke up finally, "Ah guess that...it couldn't hurt to have the Professor help."

"I will not allow it."

"Ah know you don't want his interference," Rogue admitted, "but...two heads are better than one, right?"

Magneto's expression darkened.

"There you have it, Magnus," said Professor Xavier calmly.

"No."

Rogue looked between Magneto and the Professor, her stomach churning. How to deal with this? "Listen...this is...Ah mean..._Ah'm_ the one who has to go through this process first, and it'd be nice to have a little...Ah don't know...reassurance that everythin' is gonna go right. And besides...your daughter has to go through this too, and Ah'd think you'd want to be sure...and Ah mean _one hundred percent_ positive that she's gonna make it out of this cured. Ah'm not sayin' you'll make mistakes, but...rushin' to build somethin, sometimes things can be overlooked..."

"I do not overlook things!" Magneto growled.

"Two people buildin' a machine has gotta be faster than _one_ person buildin' it," said Logan gruffly.

"This is not true," said Magneto angrily, he stared down at Professor Xavier, "you do not understand the process, the blueprints for this machine, you do not understand the unique mechanisms or-"

Professor Xavier interrupted quickly, "but I can do. If you allow me to step into your thoughts I will be able to see and understand the process as you do, I will be able to understand what it is that I shall be doing."

_"_Ah'd rather the Professor helped," Rogue admitted. "If not...maybe we should...postpone this, until things cool down here a little and there's less pressure."

"No!" Magneto hissed, "this must go ahead quickly. Wanda's condition is deteriorating and I must do something while there is still hope. I cannot risk another suicide attempt..."

"Then you don't have much of a choice in the matter," said the Professor, almost sounding triumphantly smug, he wheeled himself away and headed towards the door, "tomorrow, I shall be here at six am, and we shall begin work together on the machine. I recommend you spend tonight relaxing and get plenty of rest."

Logan pushed himself away from the wall, and as he passed by Rogue, he bumped her shoulder gently with his fist, "see ya, kid," he said simply, and with that, he followed the Professor out of the room. The door remained open behind them.

Rogue stood up, "Ah have homework," she admitted. Suddenly not liking the unhappy expression on Magneto's face. She understood that she had defied him, and that he was displeased. It would be best, for now, to stay well out of his way.

"You will be supervising Wanda," Magneto corrected.

"What about my homework?" Rogue blinked.

"I cannot work and keep an eye on her. Piotr spent all morning supervising her, and Pietro has spent the afternoon doing so, now it is your turn."

Rogue paused, "what about Lance?"

"Lance is..." Magneto paused, "not responsible enough."

_What he means is he doesn't trust Lance enough, _Rogue frowned, "fine. But if she so much as tries anythin'-" she warned.

"You have my permission to subdue her with your powers. But I doubt she will act out."

_Wow, any father would suggest another form of punishment or way to calm her down, not using my powers on her,_ Rogue thought, feeling quite disturbed. Disgusted, she said nothing, and simply left the room to go to find Wanda, picking up her backpack as she went.

It turned out the loud noise of the television from upstairs was in fact, what Wanda and Pietro were watching together. Pietro was sitting on one end of the couch and Wanda on the other, a full seat between them. Rogue couldn't help but notice the strained look on Pietro's face. He didn't like sitting there being his sister's babysitter, and it showed.

"Ah'm supposed to relieve you," Rogue said quietly to Pietro as she stood at the top of the stairs staring at them both. Wanda didn't even lift her eyes from the screen, she looked to be in some sort of trance. She was hooked up to a portable IV, the needle taped firmly to her hand, and there was some kind of device strapped onto her wrist, a bulky thing with what looked like a small display upon it. It looked much more complex than a watch though.

"Thank god," muttered Pietro as he got up from his seat. As he headed to go downstairs he stopped at the top step and whispered to Rogue, "she's doped up, she won't do anythin'..."

Rogue frowned and whispered back, "what does he have her on?"

"I have _no _clue," whispered Pietro in response, his expression troubled, "she's barely even present..."

Rogue felt oddly sympathetic as she looked at Wanda, the girl in a daze as she stared at the television. "Poor girl."

Pietro gazed over at his twin, his expression so incredibly unhappy that Rogue felt for him. She'd never quite felt so bad for him before as she did at that moment.

"She shouldn't be out..." Rogue drew her breath, "she's ill...Ah can see it..."

"We don't have much _choice_. If we keep her in hospital her powers affect everything around her...people could die, and some one would come take her away because of how dangerous she is..." Pietro frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.

"They actually let her go like that?"

"I don't know," Pietro looked thoughtful for a moment, "I doubt it...but you know how things are, my dad isn't the kinda guy who can be stopped so..."

"What's the IV for? Sedating her?"

"No...that's not what that is," Pietro glanced back to his sister, "it's fluids, I think, hydrate her or something...you should probably ask my Dad about that."

"The thing on her wrist?" Rogue asked, feeling that she should at least understand what was being done for the girl should anything go wrong.

"It's keeping an eye on her heart-rate. Dad said something about cardiac arrest or something, so it's a precaution."

"Is there anything I should know or keep an eye out for?"

"If anything goes wrong, the monitor on her wrist will send a signal to my dad. All you have to do is sit with her and make sure she doesn't go anywhere or wander off..."

"She looks barely _awake_," Rogue raised an eyebrow, "Ah doubt she's gonna wander off..."

"You never know," Pietro sighed and with that, he disappeared off down the stairs, leaving Rogue alone with the girl.

Rogue slowly walked over, feeling horribly self conscious and somewhat afraid to even be in the same room with the girl. It felt like walking on eggshells, trying not to break anything as she moved towards the couch and sat down. Feigning a very light and casual tone, she said "hi, Wanda."

Wanda did not glance up, she was gazing at the TV but Rogue had the distinct impression that the girl wasn't even really seeing it. Probably a blur of colours and nothing more.

"It...looks like you're doing better than last night," Rogue cleared her throat uncomfortably, she held her backpack upon her lap, wondering if she should try to properly keep the girl company or if she should just partially ignore her and get on with her college assignments. She wasn't sure Wanda was even present enough to hear or know of her presence.

_It'd be kind of...mean...to sit here and just study while she's in this condition,_ thought Rogue, she stared at the girl feeling somewhere towards resentment and pity. _Wanda already feels like no one wants her..._

Nervously, Rogue placed her hand gently on Wanda's arm and gripped it gently, and sighed, "you're gonna be fine, you know..."

Wanda moved for the first time since Rogue had arrived, her head slowly swinging to stare blankly at the girl as if she were a stranger, mouth hanging open, saliva trickling down her chin.

"Jesus...what has he done to you?" Rogue asked softly, feeling somewhat tearful for the girl. How could anyone's father do this to them? "What is he drugging you with?" Rogue dug into her pocket for a napkin she'd picked up during lunch at college and she wiped Wanda's chin carefully.

_This is the man who said he's going to help you, the man who's been kind to you and look at how he's treating his own kid? Remy was right, he is bad news,_ Rogue realised as she examined Wanda's expressionless face. _But if Ah don't go through with this...will Wanda get the help she needs? Who else is gonna go through that machine? Who can be _trusted _enough to go through without coming out a _monster_ overcharged with powers? _

"Don't worry, this is all gonna blow over soon...Ah'm gonna help you however Ah can..." Rogue promised, feeling so incredibly sorry for the girl that she wanted to cry. She'd never thought she could ever feel so much pity for the girl she'd called names, and thought of as cruel, and malicious. But here it was, so much pity. Rogue realised how incredibly lucky she was at this moment, despite being unable to touch anyone. At least her powers weren't driving her criminally insane.

Wanda's eyes blinked slowly, glassy sapphires that seemed to only barely see the world.

"Just a few more days...just wait and see...and you and me...we'll both get control...and our lives will be so much better."

Wanda turned her head back to the television, and Rogue saw a single tear trickle down the girls' face. Even in this state, the girl was unhappy. Only she was too drugged to do anything about it.

_Ah'm so much luckier than Ah ever thought Ah was, _Rogue thought, feeling suddenly miserable too. She dropped her bag at the side of the couch realising that right now, she wasn't going to be able to concentrate on her books. Wanda needed her attention more.

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Eight**

* * *

**Whew, this part is a little longer than some of the others, I hope it makes up for the last few being slightly shorter! **

**Thanks to all for their reviews and for favouriting the story. I'm so glad people are enjoying it! :) Hope to get the new few parts up fairly soon (next few days hopefully). Love you all 3 **


	39. magneticattractionpart39

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Thirty-Nine**

* * *

Remy sat on the back porch of the Xavier mansion; he wasn't permitted to smoke within the building, and so that meant, despite the bitter snowy November weather, he was only able to smoke outside.

The rain had held off since the snow had arrived; Remy wondered if perhaps there was a chance that Storm was in control of that or if it was just coincidence. Wolverine had assured him that the snow was not her doing, but was the frequent rain?

He stared at the gardens, the perfect topiaries now capped with snow, the pruned rosebushes highlighted with ice, almost seeming lined with silver, the conifers and the decorative lawn statues all dusted. It was certainly a nicer place to look at than the dirty and litter strewn yard outside the warehouse. Even when the flowers had long since died, the bushes had been cut back and the trees had no leaves, this was a place of beauty and the snow made it all seem so pristine and pretty. So pure and innocent.

He smoked the cigarette, hoping it would calm him. But no part of him felt calm. Despite the sun was setting nicely, the air was still (although still bitterly cold) and the gardens were relaxing to look at, inside, he felt no inner peace.

His conversation with Rogue this afternoon had not resolved anything. She was going to go ahead with her plans regardless of anything he said. He supposed in some small way he should admire how determined she was, that she had set her goal and no one was going to stop her from reaching it.

Another part of him felt she was being foolish, that risking her life and her abilities was not worth the chance that she may gain control of her powers. And risking her life was certainly _not_ worth the chance that it may save Wanda's already disturbed mind. Regardless of what the Professor had claimed that he didn't believe Rogue's life was in immediate danger through this evolution progress, Remy didn't trust it. To him, it _was _a risk of her life...a sacrifice of part of it somehow.

Wanda deserved help, certainly. But did she deserve the sacrifice of another?

Perhaps, but not _Rogue's_ sacrifice.

_Should be Magneto who makes the sacrifice, not Rogue. Wanda is his daughter. He should be the one to go through the machine himself if he thinks it's going to be so goddamn successful, _Remy thought bitterly as he flicked ash to the ground and watched it dance across the snow as a light breeze caught it before it disappeared forever into slush on the slabs.

_Then again, what would happen if he did put himself into that machine. What would he become? Would he become even more crazy and overpowered than he already is? Does he _know_ that's a possibility? Is that why he needs Rogue?_

No, it seemed to Remy he needed Rogue because he simply needed a test subject to take the brunt of all initial mistakes. That was all this was about. And if Rogue came out for the worst, he'd fix the problems, and probably not be so much as even remorseful about the consequences.

_But what can I do? I can't do anything. I have no power over Rogue. I've tried all I can, but if she has a mind to do it, she's going to. She doesn't want nor need my permission, she's determined to get what she wants and she won't stop until it's hers._

A light footstep at his back caught his attention, and he turned to look over his shoulder as Kitty Pryde left the back door. The girl was adorably pretty with her wide blue eyes, her chestnut hair and heartshaped mouth. She looked like an innocent child, with her petite frame and small feet. Instinct, and some spying on the X-Men in the past had told Remy she was anything but an innocent child. She was a skilled fighter, if not a slightly anxious one, and highly intelligent for her age.

"Hey," said Kitty brightly. "Just...thought I'd just see if there was anything you needed."

_Checkin' on me more like,_ Remy thought. _ The X-Men leave me to wander free around their house and gardens while the Professor ain't around, but I'm bein' watched like a hawk. Silverware is probably counted and anything of real value is probably locked away or in view of a security camera. Take no chances when there's a thief in the house. _

"No," Remy said, he took a long drag from the cigarette and sighed out the smoke, "I'm fine."

"We have a library you know, if you need a book to read or something. Most of them are old classics, but there's probably a few modern books in there that people snuck in over the years..." Kitty suggested.

"No thanks. Never been much of a reader," Remy confessed.

"There's a rec room...if you wanna watch television or anything, and there's a few computers in there if you need to check email or..."

"I don't have email," Remy admitted. True. He'd never really _needed_ to have email. The less easy he was to get in touch with and trace, the better. He'd seen the rec room earlier, when it had been quiet but now, it was bustling with life of all the students and he didn't feel like being scrutinized by them all right now.

"Is it true that Rogue's going to have her powers cured?" asked Kitty in a quiet hush after an awkward moment of lingering there.

"Where you hear that?" Remy asked curiously.

"Oh...around," she shrugged. "Everyone's been talking about it since she left...and rumours fly left and right around here. Some of them are bound to be true, right?"

"I guess."

She stepped up beside him and hugged herself against the cold. "There had to be some reason she would join that...that..." Kitty stammered to try and find the right word.

Remy finished the thought for her "dick?"

Kitty smiled faintly, "I was gonna say _lunatic,_ but...that works."

"Definitely."

"Did he really kick you out?" Kitty asked, her tone more careful this time.

"He didn't kick me out. He invited me to leave," Remy lied. He didn't like the idea of them all knowing that he'd been _sacked_ due to his outliving his usefulness and Kitty seemed like the type to gossip as far as he could tell by her pressing him for details right now.

"Same thing, isn't it?"

"If you say so," Remy flicked the cigarette again.

"So...is it true?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," Remy answered quietly. He didn't really feel like discussing the issues.

"That's a bad habit," Kitty responded, gesturing to his cigarette.

"So I hear."

"Aren't you afraid of cancer?" she queried.

"I figure I'll probably die some other way long before that happens," Remy confessed truthfully, "always somethin' gonna happen to you when you're a mutant. Can only be lucky so many times before luck runs out and you get yourself killed somehow."

"So...you're just gonna smoke til then?"

"I'll quit some day."

"I wish Lance would," she shivered a little. "I know he smokes...his breath always reeks of it...and his clothes smell of it too. I think he maybe does pot but..." she trailed off. "I don't know for sure."

Remy said nothing. He supposed it wasn't his place to go tattling on team mates. Or...latter team mates, as it was now.

Kitty stood, awkwardly hovering, her expression showed her conflicted thoughts and Remy picked up on it straight away. He supposed if he cared, he might have asked what was bothering her, but right now, he had enough of his own problems to go on.

"Can, I uhm...ask something?" Kitty asked after a moment of contemplation.

"Go for it," Remy replied, although truthfully he felt reluctant to be questioned or to answer anything she had to ask.

"Is Lance screwing someone?"

Remy turned to stare at the petite brunette, her wide blue eyes so serious, her expression so hurt. He wanted to tell her no, but the problem was he didn't know for absolute sure. "Is there some reason you think he may be?" he asked carefully of the girl, putting the cigarette to his lips.

"I..." she seemed flustered, "just...the way he acts, I guess."

"Gotta be a bit more specific than that, petit," Remy looked down at her. "Somethin' must make you think he has been, otherwise you wouldn't ask."

"I just...feel like..."

"He's not interested?"

"It's...I don't know, he _used_ to be interested in...stuff...pushy, you know? But now he...doesn't act that way and it's weird in comparison to how he used to act..."

"I don't know if he has been or not. Even being stuck at that place, I can't account for his whereabouts all the time. All I can say is that I never _saw _him do anything that'd indicate he was screwing around."

"Oh," said Kitty almost seeming relieved.

Although Remy didn't want to consider anything about Wanda, the thought did occur to him that she possibly had been messing around with various people in and out of the warehouse. He'd always suspected it could be possible that she'd tried to seduce Piotr (although Piotr was no fool, far too shy and wouldn't have fallen for it), but Lance on the other hand...

_What was it Pietro said about Lance? That if Wanda had been throwing herself at him...Lance wouldn't be able to resist? Didn't have the willpower? _He didn't want to imagine it happening, especially if he'd been screwing Wanda at the time. While nothing had been exclusive, the thought that she'd been possibly messing with others _while_ messing with him seemed quite disturbing.

"What is it?" asked Kitty.

"Huh?"

"You look...a little worried."

"Nothing," said Remy, he forced a charming smile, "you're probably worrying about nothing. Look, I know Lance likes you, seen the way he looks at you and I know he cares for you. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill."

_Could be nothing _but _molehills,_ he realised dully.

"I'll try," Kitty responded softly.

A loud heavy footstep came to Remy's attention and he turned to see Wolverine approaching from the door, his expression serious. Wolverine greeted them with a simple "hey."

"Hi," Remy responded as he took one final drag from the cigarette, stubbed it out and put it into the empty washed out baked beans can that appeared to be the makeshift ashtray out here. It was clear not many in the house smoked since all Remy could see were Cigar butts.

"Professor wants a word," Wolverine said coolly, "you know where to go."

"Yep," Remy nodded and with that, he entered the house, glad for the warmth to take the biting sting from his cheeks. He moved through the winding halls of the mansion. As he passed by the Rec room on the way, he noticed Tabitha Smith and Kurt Wagner fighting over a console game control pad on the couch and he tried to slide by as quickly as possible, not wanting the blonde to notice him there. Hoping that she'd missed his walking by the open door, he kept going until he reached the Professor's office and he knocked lightly before entering, feeling a strange obligation to be as polite as possible.

Charles Xavier was sitting near his fire, stoking it a little, his face lit up by the flames.

Remy approached slowly, hands in his pockets, and he sighed, "Wolverine said you wanted a word."

"Ah, yes," said the Professor, gesturing to a nearby winged armchair, the material looked to be ancient silk but on closer inspection had reproduced to _look_ more antique than it actually was.

Remy sat down, feeling the material and noting the differences between it and real antique. The Professor seemed to note something was wrong.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

Remy shrugged, "this is reproduction."

"You have a keen eye."

"I can tell the difference, the details are different, the quality of wood, the fabric, even the pins..."

"You know your antiques," said Professor Xavier with a slight smile.

"It's somethin' I was taught to always see...the value of things, you know? I can't tell you a lot of details like who made what, what the stuff is made from or when it was made but...I can see quality and I can see a price tag."

"From your training as a thief?"

"Rogue told you about that?" Remy asked uneasily.

"It has been discussed briefly," admitted the Professor. "But I didn't bring you here to discuss furniture today."

"I gathered that," Remy shrugged, he sat there on the chair, leaning back into the comfortable padding. The heat of the fire rushed over him and warmed his previously stinging flesh.

"Did you talk to Rogue today?"

"I saw her."

"And you were unsuccessful in changing her mind."

Remy studied the older man's face, he could see this was not a question. "You know that already, don't you?" he asked knowingly.

"Indeed."

"She wants me to _be there_, for the evolution. I...don't know if I _can_ do that but...it's what she asked."

"I see."

"How did the meeting with Magneto go? Did you talk him out of it? Did you see her? Did you speak to her?" Remy asked anxiously.

"I was unable to help change her mind. I have however, convinced Magnus to let me assist in building the machine."

"You're going to _help_ him?!" Remy gaped, "no disrespect, but are you out of your goddamn mind?!"

"The opposite, actually," said the Professor. "It's the most _logical_ thing I can think of..."

"How is it logical?"

"Damage limitation. I can't bear the thought of anything going wrong. If I am there perhaps I can prevent anything bad from happening. Rogue has a mind to do this, I cannot stop her, nor you nor Logan. As much as we don't want to see her do this, she has a point that...has the right to make her own choices."

"With your help _can_ the machine work?"

"It's possible. But there's no way of predicting what the outcome will exactly be. Magneto has explained the plans, and shown me what he has in store and it all seems...very plausible."

"But...plausible isn't a _definite_ thing," Remy reminded.

"No, but I know from one look in my friend's eyes that he _believes_ and _trusts_ this process. If he thought this plan was going to be a failure, he would not intend to put his daughter through this."

"He's not gonna though, at least not without puttin' Rogue through it first."

"Believe it or not," said the Professor softly, "he does not wish _any _harm on Rogue. Even without using my powers, I could sense that he does not want to see her suffer."

Remy wasn't convinced of this. He sighed and stared at the floor. "What can I do?"

"There is nothing you can do. You are free to try to convince her otherwise of course but I fear it will do little good. In the meantime you are very welcome to stay as long as you like."

"That's real nice of you," Remy admitted, "but...I don't belong here."

Professor Xavier raised an eyebrow and gave a strange almost whimsical smile. "Don't you? Tell me, Gambit...who does belong here?"

"I..." Remy faltered and sighed, he didn't have an answer. He stared uneasily at the top of the desk, examining the organizer, the leather bound books stacked on the left, and the gold pen in its beautiful stand.

"The institute is a place for all mutants who wish to have a place to call home, a place where they can work together to make a difference, to be something other than what life would otherwise offer."

Remy wondered if Rogue had been talking to the Professor, if she'd told him things he'd said to her. It seemed almost too good to be true that this man was offering exactly what he'd been looking for. "It all sounds nice," Remy forced a smile finally, and he stood, "but you know that bein' on the side of the goodie two shoes ain't really my thing."

"If you say so," the Professor smiled warmly, "but if you change your mind, the door is always open."

"I appreciate the offer," Remy admitted as he headed for the door, "soon as this stuff with Rogue is sorted out I'll be out of your hair...er..." he glanced at the Professor's bald head, "I...mean way..." he remarked quickly and left the room feeling strangely embarrassed and very empty.

* * *

Rogue noted that Wanda had fallen asleep. She'd been lying there for hours, staring at the television in a blank state until she'd somehow drifted off, her head tilted back, a vague snore escaping the back of her throat.

It'd been hard to spend time with the girl. Feeling so much frustration with her past behaviour was bad enough, but trying to interact with a girl who was too doped to barely even know who or where she was made it even more difficult. Rogue had tried talking to her, about the music videos on MTV, about celebrities she thought were fake and overpaid, or about television shows she liked. Trying to get a response out of Wanda however was as difficult as trying to draw blood from a stone.

When the girl had finally dropped off, Rogue was able to work on her coursework a little and get through the three chapters of the book she had to read for her English literature class. Something she'd been neglecting. It was difficult to try and concentrate, as every time she read a paragraph regarding anything vaguely romantic or argumentative all she would think of was Remy LeBeau and his visit to her at college earlier in the afternoon.

He'd looked so very tired and unlike himself, so unkempt and hopeless. It wasn't like him. Where was he now? She had to wonder if he'd finally left town after the conversation.

_Ah should have told him about the phone numbers,_ she thought as she glanced up from her book and gazed at the television, seeing a commercial on television about iPhones. It only reminded her that he probably had a bad number for her too, thanks to Wanda.

Rogue sighed as she closed her book at the end of the third chapter, and she glanced to her side to see Wanda, so deeply asleep that Rogue was positive even a bomb could have gone off and it wouldn't have awakened the girl. The loud music from the television didn't even disturb her in the least.

Just as Rogue was slipping her books back into her backpack, Rogue heard Tabitha humming to herself as she came upstairs, and she turned to look at the girl. Despite the cold weather out, Tabitha was dressed in a short skirt and revealing top that were inappropriate for her. Despite the disgust, Rogue felt also vaguely jealous the girl could wear such revealing clothing confidently _without _concern of others.

"Hi," Tabitha said brightly, she grabbed the remote control from the television and dropped herself into the seat on the couch between Rogue and the sleeping Wanda. Wanda didn't even stir as she bounced slightly as Tabitha did so.

"You're back late," Rogue noted, she glanced at her watch, noting it was nearly nine. Where do you spend all your time these days? You're barely ever here."

"I was at the institute. Kurt got that new game for Playstation...the one with the Zombies and stuff...I was playing that and totally lost track of time," Tabitha said casually, she began flicking through the music channels until she found something that she liked. She kicked her boots off and put her feet up on the coffee table, wiggling her toes a little, garish bright pink socks cladding her small feet.

"How is everyone?"

"Everyone is fine," shrugged Tabitha, she sang along to the lyrics on the music video. Then, out of the blue, she remarked, "I can't believe Remy just totally walked out on us, and ended up with the X-Men."

Rogue blinked and turned to look at the pretty blonde, "what?"

"He's there...I saw him. He flew by earlier like...I don't know, like he was trying to make sure I didn't know he was there, like he was _embarrassed _or something...but yeah, he's there."

_Should Ah even tell her that he was thrown out, that he didn't just walk out on us?_ Rogue pondered.

"So...if he's not leading us now, who is?" Tabitha asked.

"Ah don't think we really _have_ a leader at the moment," Rogue shrugged.

"'Cause if Magneto is gonna pick Pietro to lead this team, then I am _so_ goin' back to Xavier's. There's no way I'm lettin' that prick boss me around, even if he is kinda hot in a weird sort of way."

Rogue sighed.

"You ever think about goin' back?" Tabitha asked curiously.

"Not really..." Rogue lied. _Ah can't believe Remy went to the institute. So is he joinin' the X-Men now? Is this his way at gettin' back at me? Did he send the Professor here? Did he tell the Professor everythin' that happened? _She wondered.

Tabitha nudged Wanda curiously, seeming to realise how deeply asleep the girl was, "what's up with this?"

"She's sedated."

"_Again_?" Tabitha asked.

"She's not well," Rogue responded, "she gestured to the IV attached to the girl's hand.

"I see," Tabitha changed the channel again and sighed, "TV sucks."

"Yeah, it does," Rogue responded. She stood up, "can you sit with Wanda for a little bit and keep an eye on her while I go to the bathroom?"

"Sure. Doesn't look like she's goin' anywhere," Tabitha laughed lightly and flicked through more channels.

Rogue feigned a smile, and got up. As she stood, she realised she'd been free of cramps for the day and had inadvertently forgotten about her period the moment she'd gotten home and had the Professor, Wolverine and Magneto to contend with. Being put in charge of Wanda had made it even more distracting. She went to her room to dump her bag, and get some clean underwear and then headed towards the bathroom.

She was pleased to note her monthly curse had finally ended. At least that was one less problem to contend with. She wished she had time to shower, but she supposed she could always do so in the morning. A quick clean was going to have to be good enough for now. She couldn't leave Wanda alone with Tabitha too long. Tabitha wasn't responsible enough to take care of the girl should she awaken.

_Not that Ah'm really in the better position to handle her if she _does _wake _up, thought Rogue unhappily. As well as the situation with Wanda, her mind was on how it seemed an absurd thought that she and Remy were both in the wrong places right at this moment. It should have been the other way around.

Her stomach churned with the thoughts of what Remy may have told the Professor or Wolverine. Had he told them of how she'd betrayed them, or how far they'd gone that night in her room when he'd let her touch him, when she'd let him touch her until her period had ruined everything? Her cheeks felt hot at the thought of it.

With a few free moments to herself, she dumped her blood-dotted undies into the washing machine in the basement along with her other undone laundry and started a cycle before going back upstairs. She'd see to putting the stuff in the dryer in the morning.

Just as she was climbing the stairs to the living room area, she heard Magneto's voice, and she arrived to see that he was there speaking with Tabitha. Rogue hoped to god that Tabitha had _not _divulged what she'd told her about Remy's going to the X-Men.

"So...no leader?" Tabitha was asking of Magneto as Rogue approached.

"For this moment in time, no," said Magneto coolly, he turned to see Rogue approaching, his cool blue eyes met with his briefly.

_Looks like all she cares about is who's going to be bossing her around. Hopefully she didn't say anythin' about Remy, _Rogue thought.

"Hi," Rogue said quietly, "sorry Ah had to leave Wanda with Tabitha but...Ah needed to go to the bathroom and start some laundry..."

"It is fine," Magneto said; he knelt down and went about removing the IV needle from Wanda's hand, "as she is sleeping, this is fine..." he stated calmly. Magneto leaned down to pick Wanda up; she seemed to weigh practically nothing in his arms, "Rogue, can you grab the IV?" he asked of her gently.

Rogue grabbed the pole and lifted it. It weighed barely anything either, although the bulk of the stand was somewhat awkward as she tried to move around the furniture. She followed Magneto carefully downstairs to Wanda's room, where he laid her down upon the bed. Wanda was starting to stir again, and she gave a strange moan as if in objection to being disturbed from the slumber.

"I would appreciate it if you could help her wash and get her into some nightclothes..."

Rogue gaped up at the man. Was he _serious?_ "Ah...uhm..."

"I must go to the hospital to pick up more of the fluids she needs," Magneto explained, removing the bag from the IV, his expression tired as he did so.

"But..."

"I realise this is an inconvenience, of course," sighed Magneto, "but she is hardly in a fit state to do so herself responsibly, and it would be inappropriate for me to help her to do this," he explained, "Just help her shower and have her in her nightclothes by the time I return, it is all I ask."

_You ask a little too much, lately,_ thought Rogue frustratedly, she watched as Magneto left the room without even waiting for her agreement or not. She supposed she should play along. In a few more days, she could be shot of the place entirely, and of Wanda and her father. All she needed to do was be responsive, and do as she was told in the meantime.

_Ah can do this,_ Rogue told herself as she hauled Wanda up awkward, trying to arouse her from her sleep. "Come on, Wanda, we need to get you showered."

Trying to get a _barely awake_ person showered was no easy task. And trying to do so without ending up accidentally absorbing the girl was an even more tedious one. Rogue managed to get her own clothes soaked in the process of getting Wanda in the shower. It was an awkward and embarrassing process to have to undress another person, but even more awkward being around so much naked flesh when her own skin was so deadly to others.

Wanda didn't have anything Rogue hadn't seen on her own body (unless she counted the piercings and the tattoos, of course) but Rogue still had to avert her eyes 99% of the time, even as she gingerly ran a soaped up washcloth over the girl's pale skin hoping that Wanda wasn't about to come out of her drugged up stupor and cause havoc.

_God this is humiliating,_ Rogue thought. _How do nurses and care assistants do this without feelin' embarrassed? Ah can't even look..._

Rogue wondered if part of the reason she _couldn't _make herself look at the nude girl was that she knew _Remy LeBeau _had seen the girl in _exactly _this way. It made it harder to look knowing that he'd have seen and enjoyed this much naked flesh...especially on a girl who had a body that most celebrities envied and would strive to obtain.

Wanda leaned against the tiled walls of the shower stall, her head tilted back, eyes barely open as Rogue washed her. Rogue wondered if the girl _were_ conscious enough to know what was going on, would she have gotten some kind of sick thrill out of this? After the incident where Wanda had tried to touch her between her legs, Rogue had been even more uneasy with the girl than usual, and having to shower her left her more uncomfortable with it.

"Don't go gettin' any ideas about this or anythin'," Rogue lifted Wanda's arms up to wash briefly under each, sighing. "Ah don't know how much of you is awake in there, but just so you know...Ah don't like girls that way."

Wanda gave no response, just stood there weakly, being washed. Rogue hoped that the girl was nowhere near present for this.

"You'd make this a lot easier on me if you'd take this damn cloth and wash yourself," Rogue uttered, "I ain't even touchin' your...you know..." she added frowning. "I'm sure enough water is gettin' where it needs to anyway..." she added after a moment.

After washing Wanda's hair – and not bothering with conditioner as that hadn't been part of what she'd been asked anyway – she turned the water off, grabbed the towel she'd brought from Wanda's room, and wrapped it around her shoulders and attempted to guide the girl back to her nearby bedroom. Wanda's walk was slow, feet dragging, head dangling. Water dripping upon the cement tiles with each step. It seemed to take forever to get her into her bedroom.

Wanda dropped to a sitting position on her bed, towel around her shoulders, hair dripping over her face. Rogue searched through the girls things to find some suitable nightclothes, finding oddly disturbing things like sex toys, pornographic magazines, and a stash of condoms.

"Jesus...you have some sick shit..." Rogue muttered. "Ah know these days it's all 'Sex in the City' okay and _cool_ to have this kind of crap..." she gestured to the contents of a drawer, "but...just...gross..."

Wanda gazed up at her with strangely vacant blue eyes, and for the first time since she'd returned home, managed to speak. "S'...nor...mal..." she managed almost drunkenly.

Rogue blinked and turned to stare at her, she hadn't realised the girl was quite as conscious as she was. "Normal or not..." she tried to feign being casual, although feeling even more horribly awkward now, "it's still gross."

Wanda tilted her head back and gave a drugged laugh, it was an almost silent laugh, somewhere between a breath and a chuckle.

"So where are the pyjamas?"

"Bottom..." Wanda weakly gestured towards the dresser, she slumped against her pillows.

Rogue searched through the bottom drawer, finding an oversized t-shirt (which seemed oddly old judging by the faded and cracked insignia) and a pair of boxer shorts. She found underwear in another drawer and brought the items over, and knelt down to put the panties around the girls slim white ankles.

"Where's...my dad?" Wanda asked trying to cooperate.

"Gone to get you some fluids for the IV," Rogue answered, "he won't be long. And don't think about trying anything just 'cause he isn't here, 'cause I have his total permission to drain the hell out of you if you act up."

"Do it...I don' care," Wanda murmured tiredly.

Rogue raised an eyebrow at her. "Why'd you do it?"

"Hmm?" Wanda asked as Rogue pulled her into a standing position, to pull the underwear all the way up.

_God, Ah hope no one ever has to do this for me. This is so humiliating._

_ "_The overdose..."

Wanda didn't answer, she just looked away. Rogue realised it'd been an inappropriate question to ask in the first place.

"Why...you takin' care of me?" Wanda asked in replacement of an answer.

"Ah was asked to," Rogue responded, it was the truth she supposed, although she also felt strangely obligated to in a sense.

"You don't have to be so...nice...'bout it though," Wanda sighed tiredly as Rogue pulled the t-shirt over her head and helped her guide her arms in. The girls limbs were so weak Rogue realised the girl hadn't a chance in hell of trying to fight back. She felt strangely like a rag doll, responsive to everything Rogue tried to do, to every move Rogue forced her to make.

"Ah could be mean about it," Rogue sighed, "you nearly killed me after all..." she shrugged, "but...Ah'm gonna treat you how Ah think Ah would want to be treated if...if the same thing happened to me..."

"It...won't," Wanda sighed as she leaned on Rogue to get into the shorts.

"You don't know that," Rogue admitted, leaning sideways to avoid Wanda touching her flesh. "Our powers ain't so different. Neither one of us got control of them...only difference is you've been dealin' with yours a lot longer than Ah have. Who knows how Ah could be in a year or two's time," Rogue made her sit down on the edge of the bed. She sat down too, knowing that for this moment, she couldn't leave the girl until Magneto returned.

"Wouldn'...happen to you," sighed Wanda, her eyes sleepy.

"Why?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

Wanda turned to look at her with vacant glassy eyes, "'cause people care 'bout you..."

"Your brother and your dad...they both care...but..."

"But?" Wanda asked, her eyes nearly closed.

Rogue sighed and pushed Wanda to lie down and dragged the covers over her awkwardly, "it's complicated. Try to sleep...you're exhausted..."

Wanda had no complaints, she didn't seem strong enough to fight the exhaustion that seemed to be weaving in and out. _Whatever those sedatives are, Ah could do with a bunch of those, Ah might actually get some sleep some time too,_ Rogue thought dully. As Rogue was fixing the covers over the girl, she noticed Wanda's cellphone sitting there ontop of the cabinet. When she was sure Wanda was asleep, she picked it up and switched it on, feeling slightly ill at ease about invading the girl's privacy. It saddened Rogue that the lock screen on the phone was a picture of Wanda, Pietro and their father when the twins were what seemed to be around the age of five. They looked like the perfect happy family, smiling – even Magneto smiled. Now they were anything but.

Quickly, Rogue accessed the contacts to find Remy LeBeau's correct phone number and she copied it into her phone, making a hidden note of it in a draft text message just in case it should be deleted again. Rogue wasn't sure if she really intended on calling him, but having his number made her feel slightly better. Even if he should leave she might still have a connection to him, and that was enough for now.

* * *

**End of Part Thirty-Nine**

* * *

**Yay another part up. I'm getting excited about being so close to the end of the story now. Only a few to go now ;)**

**Thanks to all for their insightful reviews as always. It's interesting to see the divide of opinions whether Rogue is doing the right thing or not, whether Remy is the one being unreasonable or not. So many interesting opinions! Anyway, off to work on the last part of the story. Hope you're all having a great Summer. :)**


	40. magneticattractionpart40

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Forty**

* * *

**** Authors Note: Mature themes of sexual acts ahead. Read at your own risk (or delight? perversion? ;) ) ****

* * *

It was three am when Remy LeBeau was awoken by the sound of his iPhone vibrating against the pine table next to the bed. The screen was lit up, and the thing was sliding slightly against the wood, even though the ring was on silent.

Remy rubbed his eyes, trying to wake up a little as he stared at the thing. Who would be trying to call him at this ungodly hour? He reached over and examined the unknown number. He didn't recognise it.

_Probably someone tracked me down by now, always someone lookin' for the things I can do with my powers or my thievin' skills,_ he thought as he put the phone down, deciding to ignore it. The phone stopped ringing after a moment and he sighed in relief. _Maybe just a wrong number,_ he told himself as he lay his head back down and closed his eyes again.

It was a few moments later that the blasted thing began to ring again, making a loud buzzing against the wood, begging to be addressed. He grabbed it hastily, swept his finger across the screen, and held it to his ear, sighing, "'Yeah?"

"_Remy_?"

Remy sat up slowly, blinking. He reached for the lamp on the bedside cabinet and rubbed his eyes when the light came up too bright. "Rogue?" he asked at the sound of her voice, quite perplexed. "What is it...is...is somethin' wrong?" he yawned.

"_No...well...yes..._" she sighed, "_Ah can't sleep...it's drivin' me crazy._"

"Ain't much I can do about that, chere," he yawned again and he lay back against the pillows, rubbing his face tiredly.

"_Ah'm...sorry...Ah thought maybe...you'd be up...since you...hardly sleep_."

"I've...been sleeping a little better," he confessed. He glanced around the room, he neglected to mention it was only since he'd come to a slightly more comfortable place to stay.

"_That's good...you've...been so tired lately,_" she responded.

"Yeah," he agreed. _So we're just going to sit and make small talk then? _He wondered, feeling quite exhausted. As much as he loved that she felt the need to call him, he was quite tired and finding it hard to stay awake.

"_Is...is it true you're at the institute_?"

Remy sighed, he supposed he should have expected someone would have told Rogue he was there. So this was her reason for calling, and not just the general _how are you_ that he'd almost imagined it to be. "Who told you?"

"_Tabitha. She said she saw you_."

"Oh."

"_So...you're...there? Like...right now_?"

"Yeah...in some attic room..." he stared up at the pale ceiling, spotting a tiny spider crawling near the overhead light fitting.

"_Are you gonna stay_?"

"No. Why would I stay here? X-Men ain't my style."

"_Oh_."

Remy glanced at the time on the little alarm clock by the bed. _Three am. Jesus. I just barely fell asleep an hour ago._

"_Remy?"_ she asked, almost as if she thought he might have hung up or fallen asleep.

"Yeah?" he asked tiredly.

"_Can...Ah see you_?"

"Right now?" he sat up again and rolled his neck.

"_If you're too tired..." _she began, sounding almost quite guilty about it.

_Don't deny her this, it might be the difference between talking her out of doing this and her just goin' ahead. Maybe she has doubts. Maybe she wants to talk about it, _he decided. "No...I'm not, I'm awake," he lied. "So...you want me to come get you or..."

"_Ah'll come...Lance fixed the car...cost me most of what Ah had, but he fixed it. Besides, it's snowin' out, ain't a good time to be ridin' a motorcycle_."

"I guess not..." he pushed himself out of bed and went to look for some clean clothes. Someone had raked through his belongings when he'd been out visiting Rogue at the college, and had cleaned most of his clothes and even pressed them and folded them. He felt only slightly violated by that, but it was overwhelmed by the sense of gratefulness that he had clean clothes to wear for the moment being.

"_Ah'll be there in about twenty minutes..._" Rogue stated, and with that, she had hung up.

Remy dressed as quickly as he could and washed his face, combed his hair as best he was able to (some of it was still sticking up a little due to the angle he'd slept at) and he headed downstairs. He stopped at the door, realising the alarm was still active. How was he supposed to get by? He didn't have the necessary tools on hand to bypass it, and even if he could get past the front door alarm, how was he to get past the motion sensors outside, and the alarm at the gate?

Just as he was considering calling Rogue to ask what he should do, a voice startled him.

"Going somewhere?"

Remy spun around, a little unsettled having not heard anyone approach. Kitty Pryde was standing there with a glass of milk in her hand, her hair hanging down over her shoulders making her seem even younger than when she had it up in the usual ponytail.

"Out...for breakfast," Remy threw a thumb over his shoulder towards the front door.

"We have breakfast here, too, you know," she gestured to the kitchen.

"Yeah, but...I hate to cook at this time of the morning...and...I'm a guest so...wouldn't be right of me to go rifling through your cupboards at this hour..." he stated.

"Sounds like an excuse to me," said Kitty curtly.

"I just need out."

"Oh," said Kitty. "Are you like...running off? 'Cause...I've heard you're kind of a flight risk."

"No...I'm not," he stated coolly, being honest, "just need to get out for a bit. Need some air, and all that, you know how it is. This place...ain't really my scene. Besides, I'm out of cigarettes," he added, reminding himself of the fact.

"It'd be a good time to quit," Kitty noted.

"I'll keep it in mind," he moved over to the door, "you know how to disarm this?" he gestured to the alarm.

Kitty moved over to the door, her oversized tiger feet slippers dragged on the floor as she walked, she yawned as she quickly tapped in the code for the alarm. "I'll watch from here as you head down to the gate," she opened the front door for him, "I'll disarm it when you get there. After you're out there, you're gonna have to use the communication box to get back in..." she explained, "which...given this time of night...or...morning rather...you probably won't get in anytime soon."

"I'll probably be gone a few hours, no sweat, don't worry. If I can't get in, I can't get in," he shrugged.

"You gonna be warm enough?" Kitty raised an eyebrow at his thin long sleeved t-shirt as he went about pulling on his leather coat.

"I'm from the south, I don't dress in thick sweaters and scarves," he rolled his eyes at her, he gave her a vague wave as he headed down the drive.

It was colder than he'd expected; his boots crunched loudly in the snow as he made his way down the drive. Just as he approached the gates, they opened as if by magic for him, and as he moved through them, they began to close again, and he heard the buzzing of the electric locking mechanism, he noted the security camera above.

_If I had the right tools, none of this would have stopped me from getting in or out,_ he told himself as he folded his arms over himself, shivering in the cold. It was another ten minutes before Rogue arrived, the car pulling up slowly.

He opened the door and climbed in; the car wasn't much warmer inside, but then the heating probably still needed work. He stared across at Rogue as she pulled the car away from the side of the road. Other than her looking a little dark under the eyes, she seemed as he'd left her the previous afternoon. Were those the same clothes she'd been wearing when he'd seen her at college?

"You...ain't even been to bed," he said knowingly.

Rogue rolled her eyes at him, "course Ah have..."

"That's the same pair of pants..." he looked down at her lap, "same shirt..." he noted, seeing the bottom hem poking out beneath her zipped up hooded sweatshirt.

"Whatever," she mumbled.

"So...where you wanna go?" he asked, he leaned back in his seat, he reached for the seatbelt but remembered the one on this side didn't work. Another thing he'd promised to fix and never had. _Too many promises made and not enough of them ever kept,_ he realised.

"Ah dunno...breakfast Ah guess...at the diner," she shrugged.

"You look...a little upset."

"It was a rough day is all," Rogue responded.

"That why you call me? 'Cause you had a rough day? Need to talk 'bout it?"

"No..." Rogue turned to glance at him quickly as she drove the car down towards the long stretch of road the diner was located. "Ah called because Ah wanted to hear your voice...Ah wanted to see you..."

"You could have spent time with me when I come to see you at your college but...you turned me away," he reminded.

"Ah use Lunch time to catch up on the studyin' Ah never have time to do elsewhere...Ah need that time," Rogue explained, sounding truthful.

Remy studied her profile, "all caught up now?"

"No. And feelin' like Ah never will be," she admitted, sounding quite stressed regarding this. "Everythin' is pilin' up. And these rehearsals get so exhaustin'...Ah wish Ah could just quit, but...the Professor is _payin'_ for this for me...Ah can't be ungrateful and walk out and let him waste all that tuition..." she sighed.

Feeling sympathetic to her plight, Remy put his hand upon hers as it settled upon the stick, she turned and glanced at him momentarily before turning her attention back to the road. "Everythin' that's goin' on outside of school is what's keepin' you from concentratin'," Remy spoke up, "once things get back to normal...you'll find it easier to focus on the stuff you have to do at college."

"Ah hope so," Rogue sighed, she turned the car, her eyes blinking tiredly.

Remy removed his hand from hers, "whoah, you took the wrong turn."

"No Ah didn't..." she frowned.

"Yes you did," Remy glanced over the back of his seat, to see if there was a sign to prove him right. "It's always been straight ahead...there's no shortcuts..."

Rogue pulled the car to the side of the road, and eased on the brakes, slowing it to a gentle stop.

"Chere?" he asked quietly, he listened to the sound of the windscreen wipers shifting roughly across the glass, wiping the new falling snow away. Rogue turned the engine off and she sat staring forward into space for a moment.

Remy let his elbow rest upon the door at his side, and placed his cheek upon his hand, waiting for a moment, wondering if she'd be the first to speak. Something had to be said, clearly. She'd taken this path and parked here _deliberately_, he realised this. This was her attempt at getting him alone without distraction. But whatever it was she wanted to say...she wasn't saying it.

"Is this where you tell me again how wrong I am about what you gotta do...?" he asked, feeling somewhat too tired to listen. He was mentally and physically exhausted, and his wrist was hurting hellishly.

Rogue was silent for a few moments, "How far do you see this goin', Remy?" she asked finally. Her voice thick with exhaustion, tinged with emotion.

"Hmm?" he shifted his eyes to her.

"How far do you see _us_ goin'?"

He wasn't sure how to answer. He hadn't thought far into the _future_ of things. It had seemed far too early to think of these things, especially when falling for the girl had come as a surprise to him. "I don't know..." he shrugged, "isn't it...too early to think about that?"

Rogue gave a deep and frustrated sigh, she frowned at the steering wheel. It didn't seem to be the answer she was looking for.

"Come on, Rogue. You know this is new for me too. I haven't had _time_ to think about how far I think this is gonna go. I've barely had time to figure out how I feel about you..."

"How do you feel?" she asked, turning to him, searching his eyes.

Remy chewed his lip momentarily, "you know how I feel about you. I've told you straight up. It were like...sixteen hours ago I told you...you don't need remindin'."

"Say it..." she commanded, almost desperately.

"I love you," he responded firmly, "I'm in love _with you._"

Rogue stared back to the steering wheel again, looking quite unhappy.

"I don't know what the future holds for us...I've never...felt these things...I've never _wanted_ a relationship..." he reminded. "I know I want it...I know I want things with you that I never wanted with any other girl...things that I never thought I'd want..." he admitted. "But if you're askin' what you think I see for us...I don't know...I don't know if it's gonna be marriage...or kids...or ownin' a house and a dog and a cat and a joint bank account..."

Her voice was slight, "is that because...those are things we _couldn't_ have?"

Remy spoke up, "no...it's because this is new...and we're _young_. Jesus, Rogue, you're eighteen, I'm twenty-one...we ain't thirty-somethings, we don't need to have it all figured out right now..."

"So..." Rogue licked her lips, "what happens when...we have some random ten years of bein' this limited version of boyfriend and girlfriend...and then we figure out we want more...?"

Remy looked at her, he wasn't sure he had an answer. He hadn't thought of one year in the future let alone _ten_.

"You can't marry a girl you can't touch...can't _be_ with...what if you decided you wanted kids?"

Snorting, Remy looked away from her frowning, "so I can be as big a disappointment to them as Jean-Luc was to me? No thanks."

"You might."

"Doubtful."

"Remy, you didn't even want a _relationship _last month. Don't you get it?"

"Get what?" he asked frustratedly.

"You don't know what you're going to want in the future. It's all well and good you're sayin' that you're gonna be happy with bein' limited to this...and over the clothes crap..." she explained, her voice so incredibly tiny, "but...eventually...you might get bored. You _could_ just take off...you might find some other girl you realise is better than me..."

"No one is better than you," he retorted.

"You sound like an immature child," she uttered.

"So do you," Remy turned to look at her, "you're tryin' to justify what you're doin' by makin' out it's about _me_..." he squinted, "but it's _all_ about you. You ain't considerin' my feelin's. It's _yours_ you're thinkin' about."

"Is it so bad that Ah don't want to _lose_ you?" Rogue demanded. "Does it make me _selfish_ that Ah don't want to have you go?!"

"That's the risk you fuckin' _take_ when you fall in love, goddamn it!" Remy hissed at her, regretting sounding so angry. Somehow, he couldn't hold back from snapping. He supposed the stress had gotten to him more than he'd realised.

Rogue gaped at him, speechless.

Remy couldn't bite his tongue, and spilled forth a rant that he hadn't even expected. "What's the fuckin' point of it otherwise?! Where's the excitement, where's the thrill?! You don't pick a person based on how safe and reliable and predictable they are, or that they're the safe option! You pick them because you _feel_ for them, because every stolen moment means somethin'! Because everythin' in this goddamn stupid life is so fuckin' _temporary!" _he slammed his hand against the dash, immediately regretting so as it was the hand in the cast. The pain jolted up his wrist and he felt his eyes sting with tears of pain.

She said nothing, she just sat there, looking at him with glassy eyes.

"Or am I your safe option, chere?" he demanded, cradling his injured wrist. "Am I the default because I'm the only one that showed interest in you? If I'd never opened up to you that night in the motel, would you have even given me a second look?" he dared to ask. "Was I the safe option because I was simply _there_?"

"You know you aren't..." she finally managed, her voice trembling.

He attempted to breathe out his pain, and after a moment, he spoke, "I've told you how I feel, Rogue. But you've been...vague...at best. You tell me you don't wanna lose me but...you never put it into words properly...never said it right..." he stared at her. "You know how long I've been waitin' to hear at least _one _person in this whole world tell me that they love _me_?" he asked.

She said nothing. He expected an argument, for her to claim she _had _said it. Had she? Had she said it simply and truthfully in the way he had? Or had she been waffling around the subject up until now?

He felt his eyes tearing up and he wasn't sure if it was the agony in his broken wrist or if it was the emotional pain from having to endure the entire conversation. Angry with himself, and feeling quite bruised physically _and_ emotionally, he opened the car door and got out, stepping away into the woodland area at the side of the road, listening to the previously pristine snow crunch beneath his boots. He inhaled deeply, feeling the cold drive deep inside of his lungs and tighten them. His eyes stung with the threat of tears he didn't want to spill, and his cheeks burned with the icy wind.

He shuddered, hugging himself in his leather coat, trying to pull himself together.

_You're tired, you're stressed, that's all. You are not about to start crying now. You're a grown man for fucks sake, don't you dare start breaking down now._

It took a moment for Rogue to follow him. He hadn't heard the car door open, but he heard her heavy boots crunching on the snow at his back. He kept his back turned, staring into the depth of the woods, noting a few rabbit tracks. He felt her hand upon his back and he shifted away, he sniffed, trying to blink back the threat of his tears, "don't," he warned, "just don't."

"Remy," she sighed.

_She still ain't said it so...clearly, what I said...that wasn't too far off the truth,_ he thought miserably. _All this heart ache, all this misery...all these sacrifices I made to try and keep Wanda from hurtin' her...to gettin' kicked out of the Acolytes...and she can't even tell me how she _really_ feels._

She moved to try and get in front of him, but he turned away for her, he didn't want her to see the upset in his face. He didn't want her to see how genuinely hurt he was right now.

"Remy," she tried again.

He took off walking into the woods, he heard her hastily follow.

"You're just gonna walk away?" she called to him.

He didn't speak, he couldn't. He was sure his voice might crack if he tried to. He cradled his throbbing arm and kept walking.

"Remy!" she caught his elbow and hauled hard to stop him.

Remy stopped abruptly, he bit his lip and stared down at the snow. Rogue held onto his arms and turned him with difficulty; he permitted it, but wouldn't raise his eyes to hers. He couldn't yet, he was far too fragile at this moment. He'd never felt quite so close to breaking.

_Everythin' that's gone wrong in this past month, maybe even before that, it now just all built up and this is it, I'm gonna crack. _

Rogue's hands took his cheeks, her leather gloves were somehow warm upon his face despite the cold around them. He kept is eyes glued to the snow between their feet, trying to admire how it almost glittered like tiny diamonds. Her thumbs brushed away a snowflake that landed upon his cheek, it left a wet mark beneath his eye that he hoped would hide any tears should they escape. He had to wonder why it was all right with him that he should let her cry in front of him but not be brave enough to do the same?

Her right thumb traced his slightly dry lips, her left gently brushed against the sensitive scabs of the burns on his ear but the touch was so tentative he barely felt it. He closed his eyes and breathed out slowly, trying to calm himself, trying to pull himself together.

_If your eyes are closed, you can't cry, if your eyes are closed, you can't see her _avoid_ answerin' what was asked of her. If your eyes are closed you can't see that she don't love you the way you want her to._

He shifted back a little, finding the nearby tree to lean back against and rest himself there, feeling weak and exhausted and so emotionally drained as her fingers traced his jaw. Her touch calmed him in ways he wouldn't have imagined anyone's touch could. He was mad at her, beyond mad and disappointed, but he couldn't make her stop this because if he _tried_ he was afraid he'd cave in and fall to his knees. He was too afraid to break down. Men didn't break down, they were _strong_, they were reliable, they didn't cry. Jean-Luc had always taught him that.

Her hands moved down his throat, his chest, his stomach, and landed upon the belt of his jeans. He heard the clinking of the buckle before he felt the tug of it being pulled loose, and each button on his jeans was popped, the fabric making a dull quiet thud. Her fingers slipped within the waistband of his underwear, and the warm leather of her gloves touched him intimately beneath the fabric, causing him to softly sigh. He wanted to resist it, wanted to tell her that her attempt to manipulate him wasn't going to make him forget how she'd hurt his feelings by not bothering to reciprocate the words he wanted to hear.

Except resisting right now wasn't in him. He didn't want to speak because he was sure he'd break down or yell, and he didn't want to push her away because he was afraid it _would _push her closer to evolution.

_I got nothin' left in me to fight with right now,_ he thought unhappily, her touch was so light and tentative on him, she was still so unsure.

_Just give her what she wants, she's going to leave you, she's going to do what __she wants regardless of your feelings. Give her one last fling and take off. Don't even bother to go get your shit from the institute. Just fucking _go_ already,_ he told himself desperately.

"Remy?" she asked softly, "are you okay?"

_I don't want this right now. Not this, not right here. It's too cold, I'm too tired, nothin' is right._

She tugged him free of the confines of his pants. She paused, momentarily, and he could tell she was examining him in the flaccid state. If he hadn't been so upset he might have taken the time to look at her reaction, see if it was what she had expected. Adequately endowed while in a state of arousal was one thing, but before hand wasn't quite as impressive.

After a moment, she began to stroke, her breath seemed hot against his chin as she stood close to him. It took several minutes but despite his mental resistance, eventually his hardening was inevitable. He _couldn't_ force himself to not harden at her touch, despite the cold, despite the mood being wrong. Her persistence was stronger than his will. He sighed and tipped his head back, aware of how his breath steamed into the air even though he couldn't see it with his eyes closed. Her stroke was so delicate, and she'd taken the direction from that first time well enough to know the basics of what to do.

_A hand job doesn't make it all better though,_ he thought unhappily. _A hand job isn't going to make me feel like she loves me. Doesn't matter how good it feels...doesn't matter how much my body thinks I want it._

Suddenly, mid-stroke, she stopped. He took a deep breath, tried to brace himself, forced back the rejection he felt and he finally opened his eyes to look down at what she was doing, as he'd heard a soft tearing sound. His eyes dropped further to see her rolling a condom onto him, and he blinked.

_Where the hell she get that? _He wondered, feeling that Rogue wasn't the type of girl confident enough to go to a store and _buy_ them. He was curious to what the point of this really was, until she dropped down to her knees.

_Seriously...she's not going to...oh fuck..._

He tipped his head back and moaned at her gesture, through the thin sheath he could feel the heat of her mouth in comparison to the cold wintery air and it almost drove him over the edge. He pushed one hand against her shoulder, his injured arm dangling by his side, he was no longer as aware of the throbbing of it, as he throbbed harder elsewhere.

_Is that mint I smell?_ He thought, breathing in through his nose and detecting a hint of some scent in the air. _Jesus, she's planned this...she came prepared...knew exactly what she was gonna do..._

He dropped his eyes again to watch her, there was a lot of hesitation, confusion. She had the basic idea, but seemed to be struggling with the concept.

It was a surreal moment, watching himself enter her mouth, the realisation it was too soon for things to be going this far, but that at least she'd made the effort to experiment without the control of her powers. It was something...it was _promising._

He held himself in check from instinctively bucking against her, something he'd been used to doing the past month with Wanda who was far more practised with this act and definitely more skilled at relaxing her throat. Every now and then, Rogue would try to test her limitations, gagging each time and pulling back, looking slightly alarmed and sick.

_Why the hell does she always have to attempt to push things further than they need to be? Should I be instructin' her? Like I did the first time? Does she _want_ that? Damn, all I want is her to say she loves me and she had to go give me a fucking blow job like it's the answer to what I want..._

After the fifth time of trying to take his length further, she choked and pulled back, she turned and was nearly sick. Her distress was evident, this _wasn't _working out how she thought it was going to. So much for planning.

He breathed, "you don't gotta take the whole thing in..." he tried to explain, feeling pained by this. He wasn't in the mood to be instructing the girl, all he was in the mood for was sleep. Or for her to tell him she loved him. It seemed the first was the most plausible.

"Ah'm sorry," she seemed close to crying. Perhaps it was just the choking, or was it just the humiliation that she was doing a poor job? He wasn't sure. Perhaps both. Something was making her eyes water.

"You don't _gotta_ do this, you know..." he tried.

"Ah want to..." she moved to begin again. Before she could move further down, he put his hand on himself to block her halfway and she looked at this worriedly. As she pulled back, he stroked, and he saw the look of realisation. Her hand replaced his and he put his hand gently upon her head as she began to work again, rhythm clumsy, technique sloppy, but the act enough to build the excitement.

"That's it," he breathed faster, he gripped her shoulder, she was learning fast. "God...yeah...that's...Oh god..." he sucked in his breath and tried to refrain from moaning too loud, he was aware of how loudly that would echo in the woods and he hoped no one was out walking their dog at this ungodly hour.

She removed her mouth from him, stroking faster, glancing up at him, "are you close?"

He gave a firm nod, biting into his lip hard, hips thrusting a little against her hand. Watching her down there, so close to the organ, hot mouth so close to it again.

"Tell me when," she said uncertainly before putting her mouth back upon him, the rhythm picking up a little.

He began moaning, and he couldn't stop from doing so, and although he hadn't _said_ it, she seemed to understand that this was it. He was quite taken aback when she snapped the condom off and began stroking heavily. The pulses began and the moment became more surreal as he watched her wait with open mouth. He hadn't expected that.

The first shot hit her cheek, the second landed upon her tongue, the rest spilled weakly, landing upon the mess of snow between Rogue's knees.

Breathing hard, he gaped down at her as she closed her mouth, he could tell from the expression upon her face that she wasn't exactly enjoying the taste and was holding it in her mouth, seeming to be not sure what to do with it.

He waited to see what she was going to do, was she going to be bold like Wanda and swallow it regardless? Or was she going to spit it out and voice her dislike for it?

"You don't gotta swallow it," he admitted openly, waiting for the reaction still.

She quickly pulled herself up ducked behind a cluster of trees and he heard her spitting and gagging at first, vomiting a little after. It wasn't the most romantic thing to have happened to him in his life, but it certainly wasn't the first time he'd had a girl react this way either. He supposed the act wasn't for everyone. He put himself away as he tried to block out the sounds of her disgust and he waited for her to be done.

Rogue returned a moment later, her expression slightly sick. She still had his seed upon her cheek and he gestured to it discretely. Embarrassedly, she wiped her face, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"You didn't have to do that, you know..."

"Ah had to know," she made a face.

_To compete with Wanda, I'm sure,_ he thought, remembering of her freak out about things Wanda had done with him that she'd thought she'd never be able to do.

"And now you do," he sighed.

"Was it...Ah mean...it was okay, wasn't it?"

"It was good," he nodded.

"Just good?"

"It was _fine_," he responded. He bent down to clean any of his seed off his leather gloves with the fresh snow.

"But?"

"But it wasn't what I wanted..."

"Oh..." she stood, looking somewhat hurt. He could see the thoughts crossing her mind, as she tried to figure out what that was.

"All I wanted was _words, _chere. Not actions. If you'd just spat out a mouthful of them, you'd have saved yourself spittin' out a mouthful of somethin' else."

Rogue winced, looking thoroughly embarrassed now.

"It...doesn't make anythin' better, you know," he sighed, staring down at their mixed foot prints and the delves her knees had left in the snow. _"_It's not a _distraction_...it's not gonna make me feel better..."

"It wasn't..." Rogue began looking frustrated, "it wasn't supposed to be a distraction...it was...it was supposed to be a...gesture..." she raised her hands helplessly, "Ah wanted to do somethin' nice for you."

"It...was nice but..." Remy began walking back towards the car. "You know what I want," he responded. He heard her hesitantly follow.

"Ah'm not ready, yet."

He stopped at the passengers side and stood there for a moment, he turned to look at her seriously, and let his injured arm rest upon the top of the car.

"Ah...can't just yet..." she tried to explain, looking helpless, "Ah've...Ah've never had to..."

"Are you afraid I ain't gonna say it back? 'Cause I already said it and...it's pretty much a given that I'm gonna again," he sighed, staring down at the snow.

"Ah know you will..." she moved over slowly, "it's just...hard...to say...right now..." she sighed unhappily.

"Why?" he asked as he watched her adjust the lapels on his leather coat.

"Because..." she began, looking quite hurt.

"Because?"

"Because when Ah say it...and _really _ mean it...Ah wanna be able to kiss you..." she looked up at him with sad eyes.

Remy sighed deeply and stared down to his feet, this hadn't occurred to him, and as much as he hated the thought that this might mean he'd _never_ hear her say it, he understood her reasoning to it.

"If..." Rogue began "If Ah didn't feel it...what happened just now...Ah'd have never gone that far..." she made a face. "Not with _any other guy..."_

_ "_Not even Summers?"

"Not even him."

"If you say so."

"The thought makes me queasy..." she grimaced.

"Then why the hell try?" he demanded suddenly, "if the thought of doin' it makes you sick why the hell would you?"

"Because Ah thought you would know how Ah felt that way about it..." she chewed her lip.

"If you can't say what you feel yet, then...fine, I guess for now I can live with that," he finally decided, "but I don't need you to _blow_ me as a substitute for _I love you_."

Rogue raised her eyes, "that wasn't...what disgusted me."

He realised suddenly what she meant, "oh."

"It was that Ah...tried to swallow it..." she turned her face away and wretched a little again. Even Remy's stomach felt a little sickened suddenly. "Ah just couldn't...Ah'm sorry."

He hadn't ever felt that way before with other girls, but then he supposed, when they meant nothing to him, the act didn't affect _him_. Rogue was different. He'd never really thought of asking her of the same things he'd have expected of girls like Wanda or the cheap dates he'd picked up in bars. He respected her far more than the others, he didn't want her in quite the same dirty almost depraved ways.

"You never have to do that again," he said coolly as he opened the car door and climbed in, feeling horribly guilty for having watched and somehow grudgingly enjoyed the act now that he knew how badly she felt about it. He stared out of the window, watching her move to the side of the road to grab a handful of fresh snow and put it in her mouth, she was trying to wash the taste away.

_Awkward sexual encounter number two over and done. First time she gets a handful, second she gets a mouthful. Still ain't been anythin' in it for her. She's gotta be gettin' frustrated...she's just gotta be._

At least he _hoped_ she was. Or all of this was more sacrifice than he really wanted to believe.

* * *

Rogue waited a moment before getting into the car, she had to wait out a little feeling of queasiness to pass. The almost metallic and oddly salty taste of Remy LeBeau was still strong in her mouth and she wanted rid of it. Why Wanda would have thought the act highly erotic, Rogue couldn't understand. The stuff hadn't tasted how she'd thought. Somehow, Rogue had expected something entirely different, she wasn't sure what, but metallic and bitter hadn't been it.

After spending a little more time outside the car spitting out the taste (she even used a handful of clean snow to wash her mouth out) she finally got back into the car, trying to act normal despite she was sure Remy had been watching her from the passengers seat as she attempted to rid herself of his taste.

_It can't have been very erotic for him to have me gagging and spewin' up behind a tree,_ Rogue thought dully. _If Ah'd just told him Ah loved him, Ah'd have probably saved us both a lot of embarrassment._ She was about to turn the ignition and ask Remy where he wanted to go for breakfast, when she realised he _wasn't_ sitting in the passengers seat. He'd moved into the back seat; she could see his silhouette there in the rear view mirror.

"What you doin' back there?" she asked, staring at his reflection.

"Waitin' for you."

"Huh?"

"It's a little cold, thought we could sit together for a while...get warm."

"Oh."

"Unless you got somewhere you need to be," Remy said coolly.

"No..." she shrugged, and she awkwardly shifted and stepped through the seats to climb into the back into empty seat beside him. He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back tenderly.

"I'm sorry about the taste," he sighed to her.

"It's...fine...it's just...not what Ah thought it would be."

"How you think it was gonna be?"

"Ah don't know, just...not that," she responded, "condom tasted like shit too."

"Where'd you get it?"

"Ah stole it from Wanda's dresser."

"Should have guessed," Remy reasoned. "You saw the other stuff in there?"

"Ah wish Ah hadn't," she replied, "some of that stuff looked questionable at best. Ah saw somethin' with straps on it, it didn't look like it was for _her_."

"Yeah, she's...adventurous."

"Please tell me she never used that on you."

"You think I was gonna let her go there? No thanks. I'm savin' my anal virginity for when I eventually end up in prison," he teased.

"Ah'm sure you'll make some guy very happy," Rogue mused, laughing softly. The tension between them seemed to be slowly melting like the ice on the windshield.

That was until Remy decided to take it a step too far. He gave a soft sigh, then asked, "so...when you gon' let me get you off?"

She leaned up and turned to look at him warningly.

"'Cause...now that's twice you've got to do what _you _wanted to me..." he explained, "but...I ain't been able to do much for you."

"Remy, it ain't the time," she sighed, and turned back to look out of the window, laying her back against his chest.

"When will be?"

"You know what, when Ah have control of my powers...maybe end of this week, then you can do whatever you want," she responded softly.

"But I want to do it _now_," he breathed near her ear, "get you all hot and bothered..." he hugged her closer to him.

"Ah'm not in the mood," she sighed, "but this...just lying here like this, this is fine..." she admitted, enjoying the closeness.

"Is it cause of the bleedin'?" he asked softly.

Rogue hated that he felt the need to bring up her period again, she rolled her eyes, "No."

"'Cause...it wouldn't bother me...I promise...I wouldn't mind."

"It's not 'cause of that...besides, it's done anyway."

Remy straightened a little, "really?"

"Yeah," she answered with a sigh, feeling this subject tedious and unnecessary.

"So can I put my hand down your pants, then?"

"No," she smacked his arm roughly, she didn't mean to hit the injured arm, and he yelped in pain. "Sorry."

"That was mean," he winced. "Just for that, I'm gonna do it anyway."

"No you're no-oh!" Rogue wasn't sure when exactly he'd snaked his hand under the waistband of her leggings, but when the icy cold leather of his glove slid down quickly, she felt the entire swift movement his middle finger met with her.

_Oh my god, how the hell did he do that so fast?!_ It occurred to her that he could have gotten hurt, that his wrist might have met with her stomach, that he could have been absorbed. "Are..." she sucked in a breath, "are you tryin'...to get yourself...hurt?"

"Nuh uh," he singsonged near her ear, and let the tip of his finger travel.

Instinctively, she pushed her legs together and gasped. His touch, even gentle, was so unfamiliar and delicate that it was almost like a tickle that left her tingling and aching so unexpectedly.

Not taking the reluctance for an answer, Remy pushed his hand as deeply as her pressed thighs would allow, and she felt the finger at her entrance.

"C'mon now," he murmured, "gimme a little room to move..."

"No..." she trembled.

"What you scared of?"

_What am Ah scared of? _She asked herself. "That you're gonna get absorbed..." she breathed sharply.

"It's okay...my sleeve is tucked right into the glove, I won't be absorbed."

"Oh..." she stated, unsure how to respond now. She wasn't sure she wanted this, not right now at least. But her body...the tingling, the _aching_, that said something different entirely. She'd been aware of it since she'd begun pleasuring him outside, but she'd been ignoring it. Now, however, it seemed to be screaming to be addressed much more urgently. Her whole body seemed to be on the verge of twitching, she was on edge with it. She hadn't realised how much until he'd decided to go ahead and defy her request.

"You know..." he breathed, "I can tell just by how tense you've gone...that you _want_ this."

"Ah...don't..." she lied. It was much easier to lie than to admit it. Body screaming yes, mind screaming that she wasn't quite ready. Perhaps it wasn't that it was too _soon, _it was more like that it was too _embarrassing._

"The way my finger got a little in there so damn easy tells me otherwise," he awkwardly pushed his hand further, finger sliding a little further, "see? Things goin' _real_ slick down there...you're real wet."

"Remy...shut up..." she pleaded.

"You don' like me talkin' bout it?" he teased.

"Please..." she asked again. Each time he spoke of it brought waves of further embarrassment, made her feel hotter, more awkward, more uncomfortable. It also seemed to make the aching between her legs _far_ more intense.

Despite the pain he was obviously in, he used his injured arm to pry her thighs apart and he moved his hand, she felt his index finger tickle gently against her and she let out a squeal, that was a sensation she hadn't expected.

"Just relax, chere...it's gonna feel real good soon..."

"Shut up!" she gasped. She couldn't bring herself to ask him to stop. Not yet, somehow, she was curious now.

He continued that tickling motion, in between pressing the finger half in and out in a slow, careful rhythm. Rogue squirmed, gasping with each breath. There was a strange pressure he kept hitting, a dull pain each time until he withdrew.

"How's it feel?" he breathed into her ear hotly.

"Shut up!"

"You like it?"

"Shut the fuck up..." she begged of him.

He pushed a little deeper, it was almost painful, but tolerable, she couldn't exactly fathom the pleasure in that. "How's that?" he asked softly, "is it too much?"

"Stop talkin'..." she begged of him, she shut her eyes tightly and tried to be still but her reflex was to squirm and shake.

At first, it was almost fine, she could almost even understand the enjoyment not so much in the penetration part, but of the way he'd brush his thumb against her almost teasingly. Just as she was almost beginning to feel vaguely accepting of it, he dared to go in with a second finger and she gasped. It was even more uncomfortable, nowhere near what she'd expected of it. This _was_ painful. She couldn't bring herself to say it. Something felt horribly wrong with it, he hadn't been pushing too far in up until then, but when he pushed too deeply as far as he seemed to be able to, then a horrible sharp pain followed. She cried out and held onto his arm, trembling with it. "Remy! Stop! Stop!"

"Chere?" he asked softly.

"Somethin's wrong..." she gasped, tears of pain slipping down her face. The pain was excruciating,

"It's okay, chere, it's okay..." he whispered.

"No...no it's not...somethin's _wrong_," she sobbed. "Somethin' hurts..."

He slowly and carefully removed his hand from her, his voice becoming quite serious and loud, "is it that bad?"

"It hurts so much..." she cried.

"The first time...sometimes hurts..."

"What did you do?!" she squealed, squeezing her legs together, hot tears dripping down her face.

He took a moment, as if he were confused, then said, "What..? I didn't do anything..."

"You _did_," she sobbed in pain, "it hurts so bad...oh my god..." she whimpered.

"I didn't do anythin'...I just...oh..." he paused.

"What?!" she demanded of him.

"You know about the hymen thing, right?"

Rogue turned to stare at him, her eyes blurring with tears of pain.

"Maybe it got broken..." he reasoned.

"_Maybe?!_" she cried. _Is that what this is?! Oh my god, why would _anyone _have sex if this is how bad it feels?!_

"Jesus, stop freaking out," Remy said quietly, "Rogue...you're eighteen, you're not a kid...you must have known about it. Must have known it was there...and that it'd hurt the first time..."

"Ah didn't know it would be this bad!" she said quickly. She realised it _should_ have occurred to her. Somehow it hadn't, although she'd spent so much of her young life assuming she never would have sex it had seemed that something like a hymen was insignificant and pointless, not worth thinking about. She'd glossed over sexual education classes much in the same way she'd glossed over her math classes...she'd completed the work, but had convinced herself that she'd never actually need to make use any of the information.

Remy sighed, "you wanna stop?"

"Yes," she whimpered, pushing her legs together tightly. _Is he crazy? He would actually continue after this?!_

"Fine...you wanna go home?" he asked, he ran his gloved hand through his hair awkwardly, looking quite upset and frustrated.

"Ah don't think Ah can drive yet..." she sucked in a breath.

"Okay...you want me to drive you home?"

"But..." she breathed, still trying to focus on willing the pain away, "how you gonna get home?"

"I can drive you to the warehouse then I'll walk to the institute. It ain't that huge a walk."

"Remy, that's like a forty-five minute fucking walk..." Rogue frowned. "In the _snow_."

"I don't care. I'd rather you get home okay..." he climbed to the front of the car and turned the ignition, the car sputtered, then came to life.

Rogue lay in the back across the back seat, pressing her arms to herself, wincing at how bad it hurt within. What was it Remy had said weeks ago? That sex was _overrated? _She was beginning to understand why he'd said it. So far it tasted bad, it felt bad...it made a mess. It was _horrible_. Sure, watching the build up on Remy's face had its appeal, but the mess, and the embarrassment, and now the _pain_...those weren't as thrilling.

_But it's _normal _isn't it_?_ This is what Ah'm goin' through evolution for. Surely it has to get better? Surely it has to start feelin' good at some point? _she reasoned as she listened to Remy's frustrated sighs from the front. He was angry with himself, she could tell.

Rogue sighed too, and spoke softly, "you know...in all the movies, they make out like sex is this...wonderful magical thing that feels fantastic..." she closed her eyes painfully. "Why is it they never talk about _this?_"

"Because they want to sell sex, chere. They wanna create an illusion that everythin' about it is fantastic...and some of it is, but it's a messy, awkward thing that isn't always as beautiful and romantic as they pretend it is."

Rogue sat up slowly and painfully as Remy pulled the car up the drive to the warehouse and parked next to Piotr's van. He got out of the car first and helped Rogue out. She was having a hard time walking, it was excruciating.

"You be okay gettin' inside?" he asked gently.

"Yeah," she responded, as she accepted the car keys from him after he locked the vehicle.

Remy stood for a moment, staring down at her, he sighed, "are...we okay?" he asked.

"Huh?" she asked, looking up at his tired face. He looked so worn out. She wished she had it in her to invite him in, but the drama that would ensue if Magneto discovered him there wasn't worth it. Besides, she felt slightly awkward with him right now and the thought of spending extended time was almost as painful as his breaking her in.

"I mean...are we going to be okay? Or...?" he frowned, "did I fuck up royally?"

Rogue stared to the ground and gave a shrug, "we'll be fine..."

"Come here..." he opened his arms out to her.

Feeling shy, she stepped into his arms and pressed her face against his chest, his arms wrapped around her tightly and he sighed into her hair.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, "it wasn't meant to happen quite like it did...it was supposed to be special...not...horrible..."

"Ah know..." she said, muffled into his chest.

"You should go in before you catch your death out here..." he glanced up, "it's snowin' again."

"You sure you'll be fine gettin' home?"

"It's not _home_," Remy sighed, "don't really got a home anymore."

Rogue wished she had the strength to tell him he had one in her heart, but it would only come out sounding corny and unbelievable. "Will Ah see you...again soon?" she asked. What she wanted to ask was _are you gonna be there for my evolution._ She couldn't make the words pass her lips.

Remy gave the vaguest shrug as he stepped away from her, he was lost on this topic and so, he simply walked through the gates and left, disappearing down the hill, leaving nothing but a trail of footprints behind him.

* * *

**End of Part Forty**

* * *

**Aaaaaieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, this was a hard part to write, and it was rewritten about twenty goddamn times which is why it took so long to get it up (not unlike Remy in the woods, giggity!). A shocking twist of events in the woods, but a little important to the last few parts of the story. I've finished this story and should be getting the next four parts up fairly soon. Hopefully you all enjoyed this one and that I don't get flamed too much.**

**Thanks to the really lengthy reviews I got from 39. Jesus, you guys are so kind and thoughtful. The fact people find my versions of the characters evocative, layered and complex is such a huge compliment to me. I try so hard to make them anything but one dimensional (even the secondary characters sometimes). I can't wait to get the next four parts up and see how you all really like the story in it's entirety. It's been a long journey and I can't to get to the destination ;)**


	41. magneticattractionpart41

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Forty-One**

* * *

Rogue didn't go to college that morning. She just _couldn't. _Besides the pain of what had been done to her, her exhaustion had settled in some time just before seven am, and so she curled up in bed and pulled the pillow over her head and determined that she would sleep through her day instead. She knew when she returned to her classes, she would no doubt receive an earful of reprimanding from each professor but she didn't care. For now she was sore and tired and it was her priority to sleep off the embarrassment, the pain and the exhaustion making her bones ache.

She slept until almost three pm that day. When she awakened, the pain was still there, although it had dulled slightly she was very aware of it. _Maybe Ah should make an appointment for a doctor or somethin'...would that be paranoid? Am I overreactin'?_

After changing her clothes, she left her bedroom. From the catwalk to her room, she could see the back of Logan's unique hair style popping over the back of the couch in the living room area, and she realised he was there, which surprised her somewhat. Crossing the warehouse and going upstairs to the living room area, she found him to be supervising Wanda who was watching television in her usual daze. Rogue stood at the top of the living room stairs for a moment, trying to clear her head and imagine why he was there at all, and then she realised he must be acting as the Professor's driver and companion. The Professor was helping Magneto with the machine today.

"Logan," Rogue said, brushing her sleep-mussed hair from her eyes tiredly.

"You skipped college?" Logan asked, disapprovingly. Rogue thought it ironic. If she'd skipped her classes to go help on any of the X-Men's missions, she doubt he'd have disapproved quite the same way.

"Ah didn't sleep," she sighed.

"Why not?"

"Just over-tired, Ah guess," Rogue responded, she examined Wanda, who was looking blankly at the screen again.

"Up all night?"

"Kind of," Rogue scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.

"You were with Gambit again, weren't you?" asked Logan knowingly. "He snuck out last night some time after three. Didn't turn up until way after five."

_At least he got home,_ thought Rogue. She'd been slightly concerned about him walking home in the snow, but the amount of pain she'd been in, she wasn't sure she'd have been able to drive without aggravating the pain further. She wished she had someone to ask, but there were no appropriate people she knew who would have an answer.

"Who Ah go out with and at what _time_ is my business. Ah don't need curfews and chaperones," she retorted, feeling a little irritable.

"Hey, you wanna run around all night with some guy, _fine_, I ain't contestin' that you're an adult now, you have a right to do that if you want. But when you don't turn up for school that you're havin' paid for you, then I got a problem."

Rogue frowned, "Ah wish all of you would just stop tellin' me what the fuck to do!" she snapped. "Ah have my Professors on my case every day tellin' me Ah'm screwin' up, Ah have Remy in one ear tellin' me how to live my life, and I got Magneto in the goddamn other tellin' me to look after his daughter! I got you and the Professor dictatin' to me how Ah should continue my education-"

"Hey wait a minute," Logan stood and pointed a finger at her, "now listen here. It was _you_ who chose to go to Bayville Community College, no one forced your hand. You applied for that placement on your own, no one made you go there, no one made you pick those classes."

Rogue folded her arms stubbornly, "what the hell else was Ah supposed to do? Ah was about to graduate and Ah have no where else to go! It was the Professor's idea that Ah further my education, that it would benefit me in the long run," she took one step forward, and regretted it. Somehow, inside, she felt that step and she winced in spite of herself. She hoped Logan had not noticed.

"You complained that you'd never have the opportunity to go to college and the Professor gave you an opportunity – which you _gladly_ accepted."

"Are you sayin' Ah'm not grateful?" Rogue demanded.

"No," Logan stood calmly, "what I'm sayin' is that this was your choice. College was your choice and you made a commitment."

"Ah didn't think it was gonna be all this much stress and exhaustion all the time, Ah didn't think it was gonna be this bad."

"Get used to it. You make choices in life, you gotta deal with the outcome. When you commit to somethin', regardless of the _outcome_, you're stuck with it," he said pointedly, "and that applies in more than one way, so think about it."

_He's talkin' about the evolution,_ Rogue realised. She didn't argue, she could find no further argument for it, and she was sick of going through the same discussion time and time again. Nothing would change, and she didn't intend anything to.

Logan pointed a thumb towards Wanda. "You mind keepin' an eye on her while I go smoke?" he grunted, letting his anger with her drop.

Rogue shrugged, "Ah guess."

"And when I get back, I want to hear about this _meeting_ you had with Gambit last night."

Rogue wasn't sure why Logan was looking at her so strangely, she tried to ignore the odd expression on his face and she sat down on the couch where he'd been sitting, on the opposite end of Wanda. After what felt to be about five minutes of sitting there, Wanda turned and looked at Rogue, her gaze still somewhat vacant, but clearly she was much more conscious than she had been the past few days.

_Looks like the sedatives are starting to wear off a little, or she's buildin' a tolerance to them,_ Rogue realised. _Maybe that's why Magneto's in such a rush to get this done. Maybe he _can't_ keep her sedated indefinitely, maybe she's too strong for that..._

_ "_You were walkin' funny," Wanda mumbled, her voice low and drowsy, she turned towards the TV again.

"Tripped and hurt my leg," Rogue lied, she crossed her legs slowly, she wondered how much longer she'd be feeling this pain. How long did these things usually take to heal? Why did it hurt so badly? Why is it no one had ever told her it might be like this?

"He _fuck_ you?" asked Wanda crudely, she gave an odd high toned doped up sounding laugh that made Rogue shudder a little.

"Wanda, are you _listening_ to yourself?" Rogue asked.

"No," Wanda snorted, "but then no one else does..." she scratched at her hand, the tape holding the IV needle to her hand was slightly peeling and around it the area looked inflamed and itchy. "So...did he fuck you?"

"No...how the hell _could_ he?"

"There's more than one way to skin a wombat," Wanda stated, her eyes suddenly feverish.

"Ah think you need another dose of whatever it is your daddy keeps givin' you," Rogue remarked coolly.

"Sticks and stones, skin and bones," Wanda cooed. "Did he _pop your cherry,_ or lick the cream, talk the talk or live the dream?"

"Wanda, what the fuck?" Rogue blinked. She got up quickly from the couch and moved away, feeling disturbed and uneasy being right next to the girl. Right now, with Wanda beginning to enter into a manic state, Rogue's skin couldn't help but crawl with unease.

Wanda laughed loudly, she raised a weak hand towards Rogue and pointed vaguely, "you have the walk of a girl who got _fucked."_

"Well Ah didn't..." Rogue folded her arms insecurely, she tried to hide the pain in her. "Ah _wasn't..."_

_ "_So why are you walkin' like that?"

Rogue stared down to the floor.

"Oh..." said Wanda, giggling, "I get it...he fingered you...broke the little virgin's flower!"

"Shut up," Rogue frowned.

"He likes to push in hard and _deep,_" Wanda said, squinting, her voice a strange lazy drawl, "likes to make you _feel_ it...likes to make it hurt you know."

"Wanda...shut up," Rogue clenched her teeth, wanting to hit the girl.

"Once..." said Wanda, her expression almost dreamy as she seemed to remember, "he fucked me in the laundry room..." she lay her head back against the couch cushions and gasped at the thought, "ripped my panties off...took me right there against the machines...he made it hurt _oh_ so bad...he likes to make it hurt...likes to _inflict himself on me_...he hides it but he _loves_ it...loves to humiliate and cause pain..." Wanda raised her eyes to Rogue and gave a wicked smirk, "he forced me to go down on him that day too, made me swallow, never gave me a choice..."

Rogue clenched her fists hard in her folded arms, holding back from swinging towards the girl. She'd seemed so different last night, not the same girl. It were as if there were two different girls in the one body, fighting for control.

_It's the insanity, it's not her fault. It's not her fault. Don't listen to her, Remy isn't like that, he isn't cruel like that..._

"You know _why_ he fucked me that day?" Wanda suddenly asked, her expression serious, "because he _can't_ ever have _you_. I saw it on his face every time you came in the room, every time he was there with you, how much he wanted to fuck you and how hard it made him, and how he'd then come and fuck _me._ It drove him wild."

Rogue gaped at the girl, her stomach felt knotted with disgust at the thought.

"And then Lance," sighed Wanda, "when _pretty Kitty_ wouldn't put out..."

In shock, Rogue's mouth fell. It was unfortunate that Lance had decided to come up the stairs right at that moment, his expression darkened when he noted Wanda was lucid. He'd picked the wrong time to accidentally walk in on a conversation.

Rogue turned to the boy, swallowed hard and then said, "you're fucking _her?"_

Lance gaped, and for a moment didn't seem able to respond, "I uhm..."

"Tell her, Lance," Wanda tried to stand and weakly fell back to the couch, "tell her about our little _deal," _she peeled the what was left of the micropore tape away from her hand. Rogue could see the inflammation of the needle, the scratches where she'd been clawing at the irritation.

Lance glanced to Rogue, his expression changing to one of extreme distress and embarrassment.

"Tell her!"

"Tell me what?" Rogue demanded, becoming even more furious than she had been before.

"You think _I_ took your car battery and engine alone?!" Wanda asked incredulously, "you think I knew how to do all of that?!"

Rogue glared, "you did it?!" she demanded of Lance, almost on the verge of punching the boy.

"And then he makes the money back from you and Remy for _fixin'_ the problems he makes!" Wanda cracked a wicked and vicious grin.

Lance stepped back a little, catching himself on the first step and nearly falling, "I...uhm...I owed money to a guy for..."

"For what? For _weed?"_ asked Rogue, knowing of the problem.

"I had to-"

"You cheated on my friend and you fucked up my car for _debt to a fucking drug dealer!?"_ Rogue shrieked. She was quite startled by how high her own voice sounded, she'd never imagined herself to be quite this upset by it.

"Look, it was a big debt, and it was all _her _idea-" Lance moved out of the way of the stairs.

Rogue swung towards him, and just as she did, she felt a hand catch her arm hard. Logan had finally come back.

"What the hell?"

"He tore apart my car so he could charge me to _fix it_!" Rogue yelled, she struggled with Logan, who due to his strength and the sturdiness of his skeleton, was simply too impossible to break free from.

"That's no reason to punch him," Logan warned as he held her arm up.

"He's fucking Wanda! Behind Kitty's back!" Rogue spat.

Logan suddenly let go of Rogue's arm, pushed her out of the way and thrust himself towards Lance, grabbing him by the front of the t-shirt and swinging him halfway over the railing overlooking the first floor of the warehouse.

Lance's eyes were wide, he tried to grip onto the rail, desperate to not be thrown over. Rogue realised that even he knew better to use his powers within the warehouse, where destruction would cost him dearly. Or maybe he was just too afraid to attempt to use his powers in a proximity this close with Logan. "Hey man, lets just...lets just talk about this," he tried with Logan.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break your neck," Logan dared.

Lance blinked, "look...everyone makes mistakes-"

"Oh he loves to make mistakes," said Wanda, "Sometimes three times...four times a day," she singsonged from where she sat on the couch, she was rocking back and forth, hugging her knees.

Logan held him further over the rail, "I always figured you'd break her heart one day!"

"She doesn't have to know, man," Lance tried hopefully. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her..."

"But it _can_ hurt you," Logan made the move to almost drop him, then yanked him back and threw him to the floor hard. "You're gonna break it off with Kitty."

"But-" Lance tried to pull himself up, his face pale and frightened.

"And you're gonna tell her the truth," Logan warned.

"But...I don't wanna hurt her..." Lance said feebly.

Rogue put her hand on Logan's arm, "he's right...she'd be devastated..."

Logan snorted, "if she doesn't know...she'd be stupid enough to take him back...she needs to know what he did."

Wanda spoke up, "better she find out from him than someone else."

"You shut up," Rogue hissed. "This is all _your_ fault!"

"Sticks and stones," Wanda scoffed.

Logan turned to Rogue, "you see how _devious_ these people are? This is the team you joined of your own free _will?"_ he frowned. "No wonder your boyfriend's head is all over the place..."

Rogue's face went a furious scarlet, and she stared to the floor, trying to calm herself down. Her blood felt like it may almost be boiling beneath her skin.

"You stay here with them, you're going to end up just as messed up as the rest of this crew," Logan warned.

"Logan, calm yourself."

Rogue glanced over the rail to see Magneto floating there, and beside him, the Professor's wheelchair was floating as his command. Both men seemed extremely displeased. Magneto moved the Professor's chair into the living room and gently placed it down.

"What is happening?" the Professor asked.

"Trouble, like _always_ when these kids are around," grunted Logan through his clenched teeth.

Wanda tried to get up again, Magneto frowned. "The sedatives appear to be wearing off..."

"You can't keep me sedated forever," Wanda warned, she awkwardly yanked the needle from her hand, a trickle of blood spilled from the mark, she got to her feet weakly and fell to her knees, her body was much weaker than her mind was. She clambered almost drunkenly, trying to pull herself up using the coffee table.

"Would you rather I locked you away?" Magneto dared her.

"Magnus," the Professor admonished under his breath.

Wanda raised her weak hand and the metal rail shook momentarily, bending almost as she tried to use her powers upon it. Magneto was far stronger, and he forced it back into place, it becoming still once more.

"Enough," said Magneto, he pulled a hypodermic from the pocket of his grey pants and he moved closer.

Wanda desperately tried to scramble away, but she still wasn't nimble enough, still drugged and lethargic, she had no chance against her father. She suddenly started sobbing, trying to reach the rail to get towards the stairs as if she thought she actually had a chance in escaping.

"Don't!" she pleaded.

"Enough of this!" Magneto grasped her arm.

"Stop!" his daughter cried. Her struggling a little more. "Don't dope me! Please!" Somehow she managed to get onto her stomach and she was desperately trying to crawl out from under him to get away.

"It's for your own good, Wanda," Magneto remarked calmly.

Logan tried to intervene. "Don't think about it, buckethead!" he swung towards the man with his fist, but a simple glance towards the Logan was all it took to send him sliding backwards. A man with an adamantium skeleton was no match for a man who had complete power over metal.

"Help me!" Wanda shrieked, reaching towards Rogue, who could only stand there in shock.

"Magnus, enough!" warned Professor Xavier.

Magneto frustratedly used his teeth to tear the cap off of the thing, then thrust the needle into her hip, pushing the plunger quickly. Wanda flailed for only a moment, and then her wide feverish eyes blinked, and then closed, her mouth seemed to relax and droop and then she was still. The others could only watch in a state of horror as the scene unfolded. Even _Lance _seemed mortified.

Rogue felt queasy, she swallowed back the sickness and tried to get a hold of herself.

"You cannot sedate her forever," warned the Professor.

"You saw what she tried to do," Magneto frowned, "You want her to have pipes and wires wrapped around all of our necks?! Do you _know_ the damage my daughter can do?!"

"I think Wanda should come with us," the Professor remarked quietly.

"No," said Magneto angrily, "do you want your entire mansion in ruins? Corpses piling up?" he hissed.

"The girl needs _understanding,_ Magnus, not sedatives."

"You will not remove my daughter from this place," warned Magneto, "Besides," he stood up and calmly put the cap back on the hypodermic. "It would be in _poor taste_ to take her back with you considering the claims your current house guest made against her, would you not say?"

Logan, who was still under the effects of Magneto's power grimaced as he tried to move forward, "what...the hell...are you talkin' about?" he grunted.

Rogue glared at Magneto, "don't..." she shook her head. Surely he wasn't about to tell them, not in front of Lance Alvers, not like this.

"Magnus?" Professor Xavier asked concernedly.

"It's not for you to tell them!" Rogue moved between the Professor and Magneto. "It ain't your place to tell them that and you _know it."_

"It was not your place to tell me, and yet, you did..." reminded Magneto coldly.

"Rogue, what the hell is he talkin' about?" Logan demanded.

"Nothin', he's talkin' about nothin'," Rogue lied, she gave a warning look to her boss and shook her head.

"Lance, help Rogue carry Wanda to her bedroom. Rogue, you will stay with her until I return with the IV."

"But..." Rogue gaped. Was he going to do this? Was he going to tell Logan and the Professor about what the poor insane girl had done to Remy LeBeau? Was he really going to humiliate him like this further?

Logan, finally released from Magneto's grip, relaxed and sighed. After throwing a dirty look to Magneto, he moved slowly to Rogue, "kid, you saw what just happened...you really going to let him push you around? You really going to _stay_ after this? After all that just went on?"

Rogue gazed down at Wanda, who Lance was having a hard time of lifting by himself. "Ah...Ah have to..." she realised. _If Ah don't stay...what happens to her? What will he do to her? _

_ "_No, you don't. You have a choice here," the Professor chimed in. "You are free to walk away any time you like."

Rogue shook her head sadly, "look at her, Professor...Ah could be her...this could be me...out of control, ranting, raving...doin' insane stuff, not even really knowin' what Ah'm doin'..." she sighed. "If Ah do this...Ah get to save her...Ah get to save myself...Ah don't want to end up this way."

"You would _never _end up in this state," the Professor frowned.

"You don't know that. Sometimes Ah absorb people and things stay with me _forever_...memories...feelings. Sometimes Ah don't know what memories are mine any more. What if some day, Ah absorb so much of someone that Ah won't know who Ah am any more...what if Ah end up doin' crazy stuff too?"

"We won't let that happen..."

"You won't be able to stop it," Rogue hugged herself, "Magneto couldn't stop it when it happened to Wanda...he couldn't stop her powers drivin' her to become someone she isn't...and you won't be able to stop it with me."

"Rogue...take your time and think about this," Logan pleaded.

"Ah have," Rogue assured, "And Ah'm goin' through with it..." she moved to help Lance lift Wanda, who seemed to weigh twice what she normally would have due to the limpness of her sedated body. She didn't give the Professor or Logan a second glance before she left to go to Wanda's room, nor did she say a word to Lance as he helped her move the sleeping girl. She was too mad, too shocked, and too exhausted to speak any more.

* * *

Remy LeBeau had been sitting enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen of the institute when he'd heard the loud rumbling of the institutes' garage door as it opened to allow in a car. Remy sat for a moment, staring down into his coffee cup, the coffee quality here was superb, the coffee maker had it's own milk steamer and so he'd made a cappuccino.

_Even a cappuccino isn't gonna make me feel better about how stupid I was this mornin' in the car with Rogue,_ he thought as he swirled the liquid a little, the remaining foam kissing the edges of the cup.

He took a sip, brushed the foam from his lips and was about to go back to reading the newspaper that had been there on the table when he'd come in. But the sound of voices following the slamming of a car door disturbed him, and so, he stood up and moved to the door which he'd learned through exploration was the one adjoining the kitchen to the garage.

The voices were distinct. One belonged to Professor Xavier, the other belonged to Logan. And they were _arguing_.

"_We shouldn't have just gone and left without her!"_ Logan was saying, there was a thump thump thump with his footsteps as he moved around the car it seemed. Remy pressed his ear to the door to listen in a little better.

"_What could we have done? We cannot take her against her will..."_

_ "She was close to cavin'! I saw it in her eyes!" _Logan admonished.

Remy chewed the inside of his cheek. _That's what you saw in her eyes too,_ he told himself. _Somethin' isn't right...she's startin' to doubt. About goddamn time._

Another car door shut, this time with less of a slam than the other. "_What he did to to Wanda...Charles, I don't like the girl, but she didn't deserve to be treated like that, and not in front of us..."_

_ "It disturbed me,"_ admitted the Professor. "_I've never seen him so frantic with his daughter. He treats her like a maniacal stranger...I sensed his dread...almost fear."_

_ "We should have taken her, with or without his consent," _Logan uttered. Remy had to concentrate to hear better now. "_We shouldn't have let him do that to her."_

"_We cannot afford to wage war on Magneto on his own ground...whatever we do can put Rogue at risk. Wanda too. Starting a war now with Magneto would only distract him further, could cause catastrophic mistakes on that machine. Besides...after his revelation...it would be disastrous to bring Wanda here if we want Gambit to feel _safe_ here for now."_

Logan gave a grunt. "_You really believe what he said about her?"_

The Professor paused for a moment, "_I do not want to believe it."_

_ "But _do_ you?"_ reiterated Logan.

"_I'd rather not discuss the issue, Logan. We should have left when Rogue tried to stop him from divulging that information. It was never his right to tell us that."_

_ "He must have had something to gain from it."_

_ "I don't doubt it."_

Remy sighed and he leaned against the door, feeling deflated and unhappy and utterly furious with Magneto. As if life hadn't been bad enough this past few days, there was now even more turmoil to add to it. Misery usually came in threes, it seemed, but his seemed to be coming in far larger numbers.

He ran his hand through his hair and pushed himself away from the door. _Fantastic. Now they know what Wanda did to me. Now I have to be in the same room with them, and have them know that that crazy bitch did that to me. _

From the start of his waking up to Rogue's phone call, it'd been a bad day. First had been Rogue's reluctance to admit she loved him, then the clumsy oral sex which had turned into utter disgust for the girl and resulting in the most unromantic act of her throwing up behind the trees_. _His attempts to repay the kindness had turned into a horrible experience for her when he'd accidentally broken through her hymen which seemed to have caused much more damage than he would have predicted. Now both Professor Xavier and Wolverine, two of the X-Men's highest ranking members, knew he'd essentially been raped by an eighteen year old girl. Summarizing it all, he realised it was one hellish cocktail of mess that had been forced down his throat.

_How much worse is this day gonna get? This past week has been pretty horrible and now...jesus, how much more can you take? I need to get out of this place, I can't be here and have that Professor or Wolverine look at me knowin' what they know. I just can't do it._

Without a word to anyone, he took off; the gates were open at this time of early evening and so at least he could leave unnoticed. When he'd ridden the bike out and was halfway to town, it occurred to him that he _still_ had no place to go.

_ Leave your shit, forget about everythin' bad that ever happened, forget about Magneto and Wanda and this godforsaken place and just fucking _go, he told himself angrily.

He wanted to go so badly. He wanted to go and never look back.

But he couldn't. Before he'd have been able to pick up and take off regardless, not have a care in the world about what he left behind him, not care about the wreckage left in his wake. However...now there was Rogue. He couldn't just go and leave her.

_Relationship is panning out bad, everythin' is goin' wrong. She wants more and whenever you try to provide it, it goes horribly wrong. Plus seems like she ain't in the same place emotionally that you are. Maybe it just weren't meant to be,_ he thought at himself as he parked his Harley in town.

He walked around for a little while, trying to clear his head, trying to think straight. Despite the relationship had been going rather badly with Rogue, he still couldn't bear the thought of leaving her in the lurch.

_The girl cares bout you, Remy. She the only one who maybe ever _has_ cared about you, _he reminded himself as he spied a bar on a corner and decided that he needed a beer to help him clear his head.

As he sat drinking the first three beers, it occurred to him that although the girl cared, she didn't seem to care enough to at least consider waiting before going through with the evolution process.

_She showed she was willin' to experiment with the limitation of her powers,_ he thought as he ordered a double scotch. His head was already starting to swim, although he thought the lack of sleep would have more to do with that than the alcohol. _Or was that whole thing in the woods just her way of makin' sure that you stick around until the day she gets her evolution?_

A scotch, a beer, another scotch, a tequila for good measure and some experimental cocktail the part time bartender had given on the house as an attempt to test the waters with the drink. Another beer, a rum and coke this time, and some kind of liquorice flavoured shot that was purple. With thoughts of Rogue came thoughts of Magneto, with thoughts of Magneto came thoughts of Wanda, and with thoughts of Wanda came the thoughts of what the Professor and Wolverine now knew. The thought of why he didn't want to go back the institute, because he didn't want them knowing how horrible that experience had been for him and how humiliating it was that he'd been manipulated and used repeatedly and then just _taken_.

He lost track of the drink count, and lost count of the number of times he'd had to go to the bathroom. When he tried to order any more, the bartender refused him politely, and when Remy tried to create a fuss, he was escorted out by the manager, a guy nearly a foot taller with at least a hundred and fifty more pounds than he had. Remy wasn't in the position to put much of a struggle up when balance felt off and his judgement felt impaired.

As he fumbled to get the keys for his Harley out of his pocket, he dropped them into the nearby drain, and lamented as he heard them land in the slush of ice and snow under the bars.

They were the _only_ keys to the bike he had. With a sigh he knelt down in the brown slush of snow at the side of the road and bent over to slide his hand into the the drain. The bars had been bent previously and he could just about get his wrist and forearm in. His finger skimmed against the dirty water and ice, and he winced at the thought of what may be down there. How many drunks had urinated into this water after walking out of the bar behind him?

"Come on..." he groaned, his head swimming, his body unsteady as he slipped forward and landed on his front, his arm sliding right down between the bars, his hand and wrist suddenly immersed in the ice cold stuff. "C'mon..."

"I always figured some day I'd find you lyin' in the gutter."

Remy turned his head awkwardly to see Logan standing over him. He gave a grunt. "Keys fell..." he winced, his stomach churning with the mixture of booze swimming about inside of him like a violent chemical experiment.

"I can tell just from the smell of you that you're wasted," Logan uttered, "you were gonna ride the bike in that condition? You tryin' to kill yourself, or someone else?"

"If Magneto had got in the way of my bike I wouldn't have felt too cut up 'bout runnin' the prick over," Remy slurred, his hand feeling around the water, he felt something sharp and winced, but finally his index finger hooked the ring on the keys and he tried to get up only to find that his elbow was stuck. "Got 'em..."

"So get up already," Logan waited impatiently.

"Stuck," Remy tried pulling on himself. How had he got his arm in there but couldn't get it back out again?

Logan bent down by the drain and extended a single adamantium claw. He gave it a hard slam against the bar, cutting through it like a hot knife through butter. Remy watched him pull on the bar, and finally felt his arm being released.

"Now get up..." Logan retracted the claw, then took a hold of him by the elbow and yanked him up roughly, "I smell blood..."

"Yeah...think somethin' cut me..." Remy noted as he raised his hand to examine it, that through the dirt that was all over his hand, there was bright red seeping out, it spilled and dripped into the dirty snow at his feet.

"Need to get that seen to, don't know what was in that drain, it could get infected. I got some antiseptic stuff in the car. Come on."

Remy staggered towards Logan's jeep, falling a couple of times helplessly into the snow and having to accept Logan pull him back to his feet. He hadn't thought he was quite this drunk, but it seemed quite hard to control his limbs, which felt weak and almost jelly like.

"Didn't you learn from the _last_ time?" Logan asked as he opened the back of the car and had Remy sit at the open trunk as he opened a portable first aid box.

Remy stared down at his cut hand, fascinated with the amount of blood that was seeping out, "what last time?"

Logan snorted, "guess that answers that, then," he got a bottle of antiseptic, and instead of putting it onto a cloth, he simply poured it neat onto Remy's injured hand. Remy hissed in pain.

Remy, clenching his teeth, let Logan do the same again, to rinse off what he could of the dirt and blood to see the extent of the wound. "Jesus fucking christ," Remy hissed.

"You want to get septicaemia?" growled the man.

Would it be so bad to _not_ care if that happened, Remy wondered. Right now, it didn't seem to matter.

"There's a piece of glass in your hand, looks like a bit of broken bottle or somethin'," Logan dug through the box of field medical equipment and retrieved a pair of plastic tweezers, "hold still..."

The thing was in deeper than either had realised, and it was pried out, blood gushed quickly from the open 'v' shaped wound like a red waterfall, mixing with the antiseptic and creating orangey-red rivers down each crease in his palm, it slid between his fingers and dripped into the snow, red droplets like lipstick on a corpse.

Another splash of antiseptic, this time Remy didn't feel it nearly so much though.

"Drinkin' solves nothin', you know," Logan admitted. "Believe me, I tried it, and the problems it fixed amounted to zero."

Sighing miserably, Remy just listened.

"I know you got problems, LeBeau. We all do. But throwin' yourself into a bar and drinkin' the entire collection of booze on their shelves isn't gonna make you feel better. Drink is a _depressant. It only makes it worse."_

Remy lifted his hand to examine the cut curiously in the light from the jeep hatch. Logan pulled his hand back and pressed a cotton dressing against it. "I just need to forget for _one_ night. That's all," Remy sighed.

"And did you?" asked Logan pointedly.

Staring down at the dirty snowy tire tracks on the road, Remy sighed. He supposed he hadn't forgotten. It had only made him think harder about things, feel the hopelessness so much more.

Remy stared down as Logan wrapped a bandage tightly around the injured hand to keep the cotton in place. It was a considerably neat job, leaving Remy with no doubt that Logan had done this before. "What would you do?"

Logan raised his eyes to Remy's, "about?"

"I mean...in my place, if you were _me_..._,_" Remy swallowed back what he felt almost might be the first wave of vomit. He hoped to god it was just the sight of all the blood that had caused it.

"We're not so different, LeBeau..." Logan looked back down to what he was doing, and placed a safety pin on the bandage to hold the end of the bandage in place. "We're both in the same boat. We've had a rotten run of it, we've had some pretty fucked up shit happen to us, stuff that's been out of our control. We've done what we had to survive, and moved on, and gone onto the next place..." he explained. "You go through life lookin' for answers, go through life lookin' for absolution..." he sighed and sat beside him on the edge of the trunk, "spend all your time runnin' from things and running towards things you can't ever touch..."

Remy breathed in and out trying to control his nausea. He wasn't sure Logan's words really helped.

"I'm more perceptive than you'd give me credit for, you know," Logan took a cigar out of his inside pocket and he lit it, then added, "I see you for what you are. Your poker face might convince every one else that you'll always win the hand you're dealt, but I see _through it."_

Snorting now, Remy uttered drunkenly, "do tell."

"Magneto gave you a chance and you took it. Not because it was a right place right time scenario, and not because you had nothin' better to do or nowhere better to go, but because you hoped that there was gonna be somethin' more behind it. Not the leadership – the leadership part was _never _part of the hand you wanted to play, that was just the joker card that happened to accidentally slip into the deck when you weren't looking. You joined Magneto because you're tryin' to make somethin' of yourself. You're not sure what you wanna be but you sure as hell know what you _don't_ wanna be and that's what you've been runnin' from all this time..."

Remy sighed. How was it the man knew these things so well? "Magneto said he saw potential in me, that he thought I could do great things."

"You can," said Logan, "I can see it. You're fast, a quick thinker, quick learner and you adapt. Magneto wasn't wrong when he told you he had potential. You do. But it's what you choose to do with the potential that makes the difference."

Sighing again, Remy cradled his injured hand, staring down at the pristine white bandages. "Every time someone says I got potential, they promise to give me a chance...then that chance usually turns into me bein' used for what I can do...and bein' discarded...exiled...fired..." he snorted, "makes me wonder if I should choose to change my profession from thief and fighter to gigolo. I'd feel less cheap that way, at least," Remy uttered.

"Maybe you just need to let someone who ain't gonna use you give you the chance to live up to that potential, kid?" Logan exhaled a stream of smoke.

"No one has," Remy despaired drunkenly.

"What about the X-Men?" Logan shrugged.

"The X-Men don't want someone like me on the their team. I don't fit, it's apples and oranges, it's oil and water."

Logan grunted, "what about the Professor's offer that you stick around? You don't think that was a solid invitation right there? He's giving you a chance, he's throwing his hand out to you and sayin' take it, and you...you're just eager to get your foot out the door soon as you know what's what."

"I ain't the kind of guy the X-Men want to take a chance on, trust me," Remy shook his head. "In fact, you wouldn't trust me..." he reminded Logan.

Pausing, Logan gave a strange laugh, "truth is...you ain't gave me much reason to not. You upheld your part on a deal...you're _still tryin'_ to do that. You've been _nothin'_ but honest with me and Charles, far as I can tell...you've been _sincere_ with Rogue, about your feelings _for _Rogue...and at the end of the day, you threw the money back in my face. That says a hell a lot about the kind of honour and morals you're startin' to stand for," he slapped Remy on the back, then got up, "Stick around, LeBeau. Stop trying to run and stay stationary long enough to see that there's more than just one avenue. Now come on, lets get Hank to check that hand out properly," Logan moved around the car to the passengers seat and opened the door. Remy got up and watched as the man gestured for him to get in. "You puke in this car, and you'll clean it up with a toothbrush. Be warned."

Sighing, Remy climbed into the car and hoped his nausea wouldn't last.

* * *

**End of Part Forty-One**

* * *

**Ooooh I'm so excited as I get closer and closer to the end!**

**Well, hopefully a few more things make sense regarding some things. Hopefully. :)**


	42. magneticattractionpart42

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Forty-Two**

* * *

For the next three days, Rogue took wise to Logan's words about her commitment to college and went, going as far as to ensure she had caught up with all her work for each class and hoping it was enough to keep her professors happy. Her exhaustion was phenomenal so much that she slept solidly for the next few nights, but with days spent working on her education, her evenings spent supervising a heavily sedated Wanda, and then her nights spent on homework, there was barely any energy left to stay awake.

She avoided contacting Remy LeBeau.

Somehow, following the strange events of Tuesday morning, it was impossible now to even attempt to contact the man. What was she supposed to say? The situation had been horrible and embarrassing. How was she supposed to play that off in a text message or a phone call? How was she supposed to ask how he was when eventually he would ask how _she_ was and she'd know he'd mean did she still _hurt._

Although the pain had begun to ease off considerably (still the occasional odd twinge of it), she didn't feel any better.

That Friday, after her final class, she headed to the library to do some research on a subject, and it was by coincidence that she found Kitty Pryde there among the bookshelves, looking tired and drawn.

Kitty was startled by her approach, her mind elsewhere it seemed, and Rogue realised at once what the problem was. She also realised at once that she _shouldn't_ let on that she knew about it.

"Oh!" Kitty gasped, stepping back from Rogue and nearly spilling an armful of books.

Rogue forced herself to sound upbeat, and soft, despite she felt different anything but, "after school study session, huh?" she asked, she leaned against the nearby bookshelf, her backpack dangling from her fingers.

"Yeah, I..." Kitty selected a book from the shelf and examined the cover, she gave a sigh, "I...uhm...yeah, I fell behind a little."

"You did?" Rogue blinked. She didn't think this sounded quite like Kitty, who for the past year had been exceptionally up to date with all her school work. Rogue had always envied the girl for that.

Kitty took off towards a nearby table, and Rogue pushed herself away from the shelf to follow. Kitty sat down, dumping the pile of books on the table, she leaned back in the chair, never reaching out to open any of them.

"Something wrong?" Rogue asked, feigning her innocence even further.

"Give up, Rogue," Kitty threw a glance down to the oak laminate of the table, "I know you know."

"Ah...know what?" Rogue pretended to be ever more out of touch than she had. She hated the pretence.

"That Lance broke up with me...that he's been...doing it with Scarlet Witch."

Deflated, Rogue let go of her tension, she supposed her problems didn't compare for the moment being. She could see in Kitty's pretty sapphire eyes that the girl was devastated. There were little signs she wasn't herself, like the fact that her t-shirt seemed to be inside out, and that her hair wasn't as neat as it normally was. The puffiness around her eyes, the tell tale chewing of her fingernails.

Kitty sighed, "I just...I don't get it, everything was going so well...he was pushy but...I mean...we were having fun and stuff...I like...don't know why he couldn't have just waited a little longer..."

Rogue sighed too, "it's not all his fault. Wanda flaunts it...and offers it. Lance isn't the only guy there who was on the receiving end of her bullshit. There were others..."

Kitty raised her eyes curiously to Rogue, "Gambit?"

"They'd been screwin' for weeks before Ah even got there..." Rogue admitted. _Be thankful that Lance at least made it out in tact, _she added in thought, reluctant to give any further detail on that.

"I'm...sorry," said Kitty, "I know you liked him."

"Ah did...Ah do..." Rogue sighed, "it's all so..." she frowned, "it's all so goddamn complicated."

"How'd you mean?" Kitty asked, seeming almost glad to be in Rogue's company. Rogue thought it almost bizarre, as they often would come head to head and never see eye to eye.

"This...relationship thing, going further..." Rogue shrugged.

"I don't know," Kitty said, "I never did..." she chewed her lip thoughtfully, "I...wanted to. And I wanted it to be with Lance...but...he's so pushy...and every time he got that way, it just made it harder to want to...it felt bad timing every time. He couldn't give me time...you know?" she tried, she rolled her eyes at herself, "sorry...I...know you don't know exactly," she added, seeming quite embarrassed now.

Rogue spoke up somewhat hesitantly, "Ah...do."

Kitty blinked, "You...do?" she repeated.

"Yeah...me and Remy have been...you know, _together_ in some ways..."

Curious, Kitty leaned closer, lowering her voice, "what ways?"

"You know...just _ways_," Rogue frowned, not wanting to be specific.

"Is Gambit pushy too?" Kitty asked, "'cause I always wondered, I mean, I keep hearing these rumours flying around about how he sleeps around and stuff..."

Rogue paused, "Actually he's not really that pushy...he's...adventurous...maybe, but not...pushy. He's sort of patient actually," Rogue admitted, "which for him must be...you know...torture."

"I bet," Kitty nodded.

Rogue sighed to herself. It seemed almost unfortunate, as she considered things that now, as she was growing ever closer to her evolution, that she felt less enthusiastic about sex with Remy LeBeau. One of the main reasons she'd wanted to go through with evolution was so that she could one day be sexually active, but now considering how sore that one act in the car had left her, she wasn't sure she _ever_ wanted anyone touching her again.

_Maybe Ah could live with just givin' handjobs and head,_ Rogue pondered. Remy had seemed to enjoy the first that night in her room, the latter, perhaps quite not as much judging by his strange reaction and his attempt to guide her after she'd been unable to perform the act properly. _Maybe Ah should have watched some porn or somethin', looked at what the girls do...maybe Ah should have made a little more effort to understand what the hell he needed before Ah went ahead and ruined it._

Kitty broke her chain of thoughts by saying, "he's still at the institute, you know..."

Rogue swung her glance towards the girl.

"He doesn't say a whole lot but...he puts in some effort shovelling snow out of the drive and stuff, he's pitchin' in. At least he's not lazy or anything."

"No...Remy has a worth ethic," Rogue admitted, "he was always on the go at the warehouse, from the minute he woke up until like midnight, one in the mornin', always workin' at something. Rarely ever took proper breaks, hardly ever slept. Just always on the go."

"Are you serious about him?" Kitty asked carefully.

Rogue didn't even have to think about the answer, before she'd even considered the question she'd blurted out, "yes."

"That's kinda cool. I think he is about you, too, far as I can tell. He gets...you know, really miffed if I try to ask about you or...if anyone mentions your name he gets that strange look on his face..." Kitty shrugged. "He checks his phone _constantly_ and always seems mad when there isn't anythin' in his messages. It's like he's waitin' for you to call him or something. I think he misses you, maybe."

_Ah miss him too, but...god, Ah don't think Ah can talk to him right now. How am Ah supposed to tell him all this stuff that's goin' on in my head? How am Ah supposed to explain that even though it's been me that's been pushin' the physical stuff that Ah'm not sure Ah even want him touchin' me again. He'd be furious with me._

Rogue chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully then sighed, "Ah really miss him too but...Ah think we need a little space right now...that's all..."

"Okay..." Kitty nodded.

"Just...don't tell him you saw me...and don't mention me to him...or...anything," Rogue pleaded.

"Okay, if...that's what you want."

_Ah don't know _what_ Ah want right now,_ she thought unhappily. Although she definitely didn't know what she wanted any more, she was positive there was one thing she didn't want right now, and sex was definitely it.

* * *

Remy LeBeau had finally finished cleaning the last car in the garage. He was glad of the work, glad of something to do. Sitting around the institute waiting for news from the Warehouse was an excruciatingly boring business that had nearly driven him insane.

He'd been too close to walking out far too many times already, but with a task in hand, he was capable of at lest working and somehow blocking out his thoughts temporarily. He'd been checking his phone on and off for days but no texts or phone calls had come from Rogue, and he was beginning to fear that although she'd claimed they would be 'fine' after the incident in the car, that indeed, they were _not_ going to be fine.

_Just try and call her...try to get her to meet you so you can talk about this thing with her and figure out if she really does still want to be together. Or maybe she lied, maybe she just didn't want to tell me to my face that I'd gone to far, and that she didn't think it was gonna work out. _

It was past seven pm, and Remy had just finished vaccuuming out the dirt on the floor of Logan's jeep when the garage door lifted, and the Professor's Rolls Royce slid into it's usual space, there was still snow on the roof, and on the windscreen.

Logan got out first, his expression dour as it always was whenever he returned home from that place. He moved to retrieve the Professor's folding wheelchair from the trunk and placed it out so the older man could get into it.

Remy looked between them anxiously as he tossed the duster he'd been using into the basin of cleaning supplies he'd been given that afternoon. Remy said nothing, but he could tell from the exhausted look on the Professor's face that it had been a long hard day of building the machine. He was almost afraid to ask how things were going.

Logan stepped towards his Jeep, noting the door was hanging open. "You...cleaned my car."

"Storm said if I wanted something to do all the cars could do with bein' vaccuumed..." Remy shrugged, "I was sittin' bored...needed something...you know...distracting," he glanced to the Professor, "you want me to do the Rolls...or-?" he asked, he was hoping for an interruption, for the Professor to explain to him what was going on.

"Not necessary, but thank you," said the Professor, wheeling towards the door, he gave a slight yawn. Remy noticed Logan hovering. Logan wanted to speak, the Professor was too tired to.

When the Professor had exited the room, Logan finally seemed to slightly relax. He leaned against the hood of his Jeep, other hand on his hip.

"It's done."

Remy blinked, "it's done...the machine is built?" he asked, he moved over, "does it work?"

"In theory," responded Logan with a grunt.

"Did Rogue-?"

"No...Rogue wasn't home. She hasn't been home all day, college then I guess she had plans afterwards. We actually thought she'd be here, but..."

"I ain't seen her," Remy shook his head. "So...will it be tonight?"

"Tomorrow," said Logan, sounding somewhat irritated. "There's a lot of control needed to make the machine work, settings that are needed to be input to make it function and those will take hours to programme in...so it'll be tomorrow," he explained. "Unless she changes her mind, of course. I spoke briefly to your Russian friend, he says Rogue has been distant. I'm hopin' that's a sign she's about to give up."

Remy could only hope so too.

"Understand," said Logan sternly, "that you have to make a decision soon, 'cause she wants you there with her when she goes into it."

"I can't..." Remy shook his head, "what happens when she comes out of there a different person? Not the same girl I fell for?"

"What happens if she goes through that thing and comes out cured and you're not there for her?" asked Logan carefully.

Remy had to wonder that too. Who would Rogue be the first to test her new control on if it _did _work? Piotr? Pietro? Would she go so far as to kiss someone she hardly knew just so that she could test her powers controllability? Remy winced at the thought of her kissing anyone else other than him. Of her _touching_ anyone else.

"What happens if I am there and it goes wrong?" Remy asked, "what if her powers don't come out cured? How am I meant to pick up the pieces for her from that. I can barely pick up the pieces of my own fucked up life...I don't know how to make her feel better..." he groaned.

"She isn't gonna ask you to pick up the pieces. All she's asking is that you be there. That's it. What happens next is up to you to figure out once it _has _happened. There's no predicting exactly how you'll react...or what you'll say."

Remy sighed.

"You love her, don't you?"

"Would I have stayed here this long if I _didn't_?" Remy pointed out irritatedly.

Logan snorted, "maybe. Accordin' to you, you got nowhere better to be anyway. But hell, gotta admit, the fact you stayed this long is impressive. You got more commitment in you than I thought, kid."

Remy folded his arms and stared into space. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Sure you can. And if not, hell, you can always turn up blind drunk and forget about everything you do between then and the moment you pass out like you have the last few times," pointed out Logan with a smirk.

Smiling wanly, Remy sighed, "yeah...that'll go over real well with Rogue."

"Well, way you've been going lately, you'll get yelled at one way or the other. That's just her nature lately though," Logan shrugged. "If you like, I'll be there too...you won't have to stand through and watch it alone."

Remy drew his breath, "thanks for the offer but...I don't think I can do that. There's only so much I can take and watchin' the girl I love go through somethin' that might evolve her into somethin'...someone else...it'd be too hard to take."

"Pity. 'Cause impression I get is that if you don't show up, it might be what breaks the relationship once and for all."

Remy sighed, "not sure there's much of a relationship to break as it is."

* * *

Rogue was so cold her teeth were chattering. The radiator in her car was still on the blink, and unfortunately to prevent the windows from steaming up, she'd had to drive with the windows open. As she got out of the car once parking in the warehouse yard, she was almost positive the air outside was actually more clement than the air within her poor excuse for a car.

_But what am Ah meant to do about that? Right now Ah can't afford to put it __through a mechanic, and Ah'm not even remotely gonna ask _anythin'_ of Lance ever again after the bullshit he pulled,_ she thought as she slammed her car door shut and locked it before heading inside.

The warehouse was warm inside at least, although things seemed unnaturally quiet. The television was on upstairs, it sounded to be like some kind of console racing game that was being played above, but the sound was relatively low. Rogue could only imagine it was either Pietro or Lance up there, and she decided to not go up to investigate.

As she took her snow-damp jacket off and hung it over the back of a nearby chair, she sighed deeply. Her talk with Kitty had only made her fret more over her issues with Remy, and she only felt guilty about it that she was thinking of her own selfish misery when Kitty had been dumped and cheated on simultaneously.

Rogue was about to cross the warehouse to go to the Kitchen to check for something to eat when the voice of Magneto stopped her.

"Rogue," he called to her, his voice dry, she heard the exhaustion there. "A word, if you please."

_Here it comes, he's gonna ask me to go babysit his daughter. Ah was hopin' that for just one day Ah could avoid sittin' with her in that drugged up state, and that he'd let me be. But no. Ah'm gonna have to sit there all night probably and watch her sleep, _Rogue thought angrily.

Rogue followed her boss to the office room. It was the first time she'd been invited in since the Monday when Professor Xavier had first visited and offered his help to build the evolution machine. As she stepped in, she saw the large metal contraption, the brushed steel sides gleamed, the control panel showed several blinking lights. Part of the control panel looked to be like the bottom half of a laptop adapted to fit right in. She saw the laptop screen at the top of the tall machine, tilted above her, showing random numbers next to a colourful depiction of what appeared to be a section of genetic code.

"Oh my god," Rogue whispered, she ran her fingers delicately across the brushed steel side panel, her mouth hanging open.

"Careful," said Magneto, he put his hand on her wrist and removed her hand from the machine, "it is an incredibly sensitive machine..."

"Is...is it done?" she asked hopefully, turning to look at him, his clear blue eyes were dull with exhaustion and yet a strange almost fervent look of excitement.

"It is done," said Magneto calmly, he moved across the room towards his desk.

"Right now? Are we doing this right now?" she queried. Her heart was suddenly pounding so hard in her chest that it hurt. It could be within hours...minutes even...of using the machine that she would be _cured_, that her problems would go away.

"There is still much to do. There is programming to be done, which will take hours. The _evolution_ process will be completed tomorrow evening."

Rogue nodded, feeling aflutter and anxious. Tomorrow night. By this time tomorrow night...she could be cured. This nightmare of her poisonous skin would be a distant memory. She'd be _normal_. And yet, despite her excitement and joy...she could not find it in herself to smile.

"Are...you not pleased?" asked Magneto, he stood there, looming, seeming almost uncomfortable in his own office, which was now short of space due to this grand machine.

Rogue thought it a stupid question, but yet, it was she supposed, justified. She certainly hadn't indicated she was happy. "Ah...of course Ah am..." she moved around the machine, examining the cylindrical design, she could see where the hatch opened to allow entrance.

Magneto moved up beside her, and he pushed a button upon the nearby control panel; the hatch slid open, rolling around the machine perfectly, inside, the thing lit up a deep blue colour. Rogue felt the intense cold coming from within the thing.

"It has to be super cooled to avoid the overheating of the machine," explained Magneto, as they watched the cold air condensing against the hot room.

"It's...it's incredible," Rogue said, "Ah can't believe you built most of this in like...four days..."

"With Charles help, it was much faster to build than it would have been," he finally confessed.

Rogue turned to look at him, "thank you," she said softly. "Ah know you have somethin' to gain from this...Ah know it's for Wanda but..." she sighed, "You...don't know how much this all means to me...what it means for me."

Magneto gave a gentle nod, his eyes tired, "and what for you then, Rogue? What will you do...if the outcome is what you desire?"

Rogue pondered this. She had already decided she would go back to the X-Men, the loss of Remy had caused the team to fall apart, no one had interest in interacting any more, no one wanted to train, and no one was all that interested in picking up the building work any more since Remy wasn't there to encourage and instruct.

She couldn't be in a team with no _team_ there.

"Ah'm gonna go home...to the institute," she answered softly, peering into the machine in wonder. "After that...Ah don't know."

"If the machine works as it is designed to," Magneto said carefully, his voice soft, and almost liquid-like, "you will be able to make love."

Rogue's stomach churned, and she turned to look at the man whom only weeks ago she had tried to throw herself at. Now, as he mentioned making love, she could only feel some vague inappropriateness about what she'd done. An inappropriateness that she had not felt at that time. She turned back to the machine and stared at it. This was true.

She _would be_ able to make love. And being free of her powers would give her no excuse _not _to. She winced, thinking of the pain she still felt. How badly it had hurt, and he'd barely touched her. How bad _would_ that feel. She'd seen the appendage on Remy LeBeau, when he was excited, he was well endowed enough that she realised, yes...it probably _would _hurt worse than what he'd done with his hand.

"And yet...you do not look pleased," Magneto turned her towards him.

"Ah am...believe me..."

"You are not going to back out now..." Magneto said, looking concerned.

"No...of course not..." Rogue drew her breath, she felt so queasy.

"But?" asked Magneto carefully.

"But...when Ah'm...able to..." she turned to stare at the machine again, and imagined all the promise it held. "There's gonna be things that...will be expected, you know?" she sighed. "Things that...Ah thought Ah was gonna be able to do that...Ah don't think Ah _can_ do..." she winced at the thought of it. It seemed so horribly unfair and ironic that now, so close to her evolution she would realise she _wasn't_ ready yet. And Remy would no doubt assume she _would _be ready, because of the constant emphasis she'd put on it, because of the promises she'd made that when she was able to touch him, they would do everything he wanted.

_Ah'm gonna look like a fool, like Ah strung him along with promises. _

Magneto turned her towards him and stroked her hair away from her face almost tenderly, "you see, Rogue? This...this doubt is why I turned you down weeks ago," he explained, "you are not ready. You may _never _be ready until you have conquered the demons in _here_," he placed his index finger against her forehead.

Rogue thought it odd he had a better understanding of her than he did his own daughter. She supposed though that it was easier to judge and weigh people up when they meant little to you. Rogue moved away from him, shivering with the cold spilling from the machine. It reminded her of how cold her car had been.

She sighed, "Ah don't know how to tell Remy..."

"You need not say a word to him."

_Yes Ah do, _Rogue reminded herself. _Three words, three words Ah promised Ah would tell him when Ah could kiss him. And Ah meant it. And that's gonna be tomorrow. It has to be tomorrow._

"Ah need him here tomorrow..." Rogue stated coolly.

"Out of the question. He is exiled from this place, you know this."

"Ah know that, but it's a condition," Rogue stated, "Ah'm doin' this _more_ for Wanda than Ah'm doin' it for myself, and you know that's true. Ah doubt Ah even _want _this right now...Ah don't know if Ah'm ready. But Ah made a promise and Ah won't break it. But this is my condition...Ah need him here...Ah need him to be the first person Ah touch...Ah'll be _your_ test subject, Ah need him here to be mine."

Magneto sniffed, his expression thoughtful.

"He sacrificed a hell of a lot for you and you hurt him. You tossed him out after he threw himself into everythin' he did here to please you. You _owe_ him this, you owe him the right to be here and share this with me."

Magneto seemed to lick his teeth, then he sneered a little, "after this...after the evolution process has been completed, you will both go. And this will be the end of our verbal contract. Everything between us, every promise we have made to each other will have been completed. You will not be tied here. And you will not be welcome again," Magneto warned.

_What is he sayin'? Is he sayin' that if Remy is gonna be here, Ah'm exiled too?_ She thought in wonderment. It seemed an extreme reaction, but she supposed Remy had defiled his daughter _and _disobeyed and tried to undermine him.

Rogue slipped her glove off slowly and she reached her bare hand out to Magneto, she met his eyes steadily, and waited. He took her hand and clasped it tightly, the shake was firm. The deal was made.

* * *

Remy LeBeau stared at the milky soapy water in the bathtub, his knees peeking out wet and hairy, old scars from bad falls and trips over the years had left white dents and pink lumps. He raised the washcloth out of the water and wrung it as he glanced around the pristine marble tiles of the third floor west wing bathroom, they were green and black, gold detailing that set them off brilliantly. He had the feeling this bathroom was hardly ever used, as it was more pristine than most of the other rooms. No personal effects around, just the bare minimum of soaps and towels.

_I suppose the students use the communal bathrooms down in the second floor,_ he thought. _This one probably for instructors only,_ he realised. He supposed since he was neither, he shouldn't be here, but he'd always been one for never following the rules.

He sunk his head under the water and tried to drown out his thoughts. He couldn't get Rogue's evolution out of his head. It was going to happen. In twenty four hours everything would change, nothing would ever be the same. He could feel it in his bones that something horrible was coming. That was why he'd chosen to take the hottest bath he could possibly withstand, to try and soak that feeling out of his bones, release the tension that wouldn't seem to ease.

As he raised his head back out of the water, spitting out the taste of soap, he heard the buzzing of his phone as it vibrated against the tiles on the outside of the deep tub. He ran his hand quickly against the towel at his side, and picked the phone up warily, staring at the unknown number which now he'd associated with Rogue's phone.

He deeply sighed, reluctant to answer the call in spite of how much he wanted to answer and hear her voice. He closed his eyes, tried to calm himself as the thing buzzed persistently in his hand, and he answered, choosing to put the thing on hands free mode and setting it back aside.

"_Remy?"_ came Rogue's voice, a hesitant almost whisper.

"Yeah," he responded, tired. She'd left it late to call, he glanced at the time on the phone, it showed it was nearly midnight. He supposed he'd left it pretty late to bathe, but he'd waited until the mansion was almost quiet and most had gone to bed so he could bathe in silence without listening to the dreadful music and arguing of teenagers.

"_Ah..." Rogue began, "Ah...think we should talk."_

Remy closed his eyes and sank a little deeper into the water, he squeezed the water out of the washcloth, listening to the dripping of it. He couldn't deny it had a certain soothing quality as it echoed on the tiles.

"_Are you...in the tub?"_ Rogue asked, recognising the sound of the water from her end.

"Yeah," he answered softly, he breathed out slowly, "rough day of shovellin' snow and cleanin' cars. Cold got straight to my bones, tryin' to warm up."

"_Oh," _she responded, not seeming really to know what else to say to this.

"So...what we need to talk about? It's been near four days since I heard from you...figured maybe you was done with me..."

Rogue gave a sigh, "_Oh, Remy, don't be that way..."_

"What way?"

"_Like a brat."_

Remy opened his eyes to stare at the phone, "you told me we'd be fine...but you ain't called...so...clearly we're _not_."

_"We are,_" she sighed, "_and that's not why Ah called...Ah called because...Ah need to see you...tomorrow night."_

Remy frowned at the water, "tomorrow night, huh?" he asked. "Think I may be busy."

"_Please."_

_ "_How 'bout _Sunday,_" he offered, "Or Monday. Sometime end of next week..." he slipped his hand into the water, the cut on his hand began to sting, some of the scabs had softened and begun to come away.

"_No...it has to be tomorrow."_

"What's with the urgency," he feigned a casual tone.

"_Because Ah need you to be here...Remy, please, Ah need to see you...here...at the warehouse...tomorrow..."_

"I'm banned, you know that."

"_He'll let you in...just this once..._"

_ "_Rogue...I know the machine is finished. I know what's gonna happen. I know you ain't gonna change your mind..." he sighed, "what I don't know is why you wanna have me endure the agony of watchin' you sacrifice yourself to save someone else."

"_Remy, Ah need you there...you know that. Ah can't do this without you. When Ah come out of the machine with my powers in check...you're the _only one_ Ah want to touch."_

Remy pushed at the softened scabs on the palm of his hand, the blood seeped out weakly, mixing with the water dripping from his fingers and spilling onto his silicone cast.

"What happens after...?" he sighed. "My agreein' to be there like that is a sacrifice, what I get out of it."

There was a long hesitation. He could tell she was considering things carefully. Trying to come with a reason why he would _want _to be there. Rogue responded, "_we can be together...in any way you want."_

Remy stared up at the ceiling. _All I want is her to say she loves me, all she thinks I want is to fuck. I'm not even sure I want to go all the way even with Rogue right now, not after what happened with Wanda. Some things are still a little too close to the bone in regards to that and I don't want my first time with Rogue to be full of memories of what that cold-hearted bitch did to me._

With his heart sinking deep in his chest, he feigned an interested tone, "you're ready for that, huh?"

"_Ah..." _Rogue faltered, "_yes...Ah...Ah want to be with you," _she stammered nervously.

_Jesus christ, _he thought. _After what happened on Tuesday mornin' there's no fucking way in hell she wants to be with me like that._

Remy knew it to be true from the pain he'd seen in her eyes to the way she'd stiffened in his arms when he'd hugged her. The way she even spoke right now, the nervous, insecure way, she didn't sound sure about this at all. _Push her further, see how far she's willing to go for this. See just how desperate she is to have you there. See how much she's willing to sacrifice._

"So..." he forced himself to sound more intrigued, "you want me...fully...all the way...huh?"

Her voice was strained, "_yes."_

_Liar liar, pants on fire,_ he singsonged in his head. _"_So," he licked his lips, "you're sayin' if I come and be there for you...then...what's in it for me is..."

"_We'll...do it_..." she said after a moment.

_You know what this means, Remy. You know what she's saying with this promise. You hurt her, and you know she no longer thinks of sex the same way. The minute you broke her hymen, you put the fear of god into her about pain. You left an emotional scar she's gonna let you reopen and rip far worse._

Remy closed his eyes tightly.

_Because she loves you. _

He knew it to be truth at that moment. She couldn't say she loved him, because words hurt far more than actions even could to a girl who had _only _ever had words and never touches. She was nowhere near ready, not after Tuesday, not after that kind of mess up, not after the awkwardness following.

But she'd sacrifice herself anyway. In the name of love. Because she loved him, and because she _wanted him _there.

_ Don't go gettin' a Brazillian wax and your legs shaved yet, chere. I ain't gonna be rockin' your world tomorrow night,_ he thought at her.

"_Will you be there?" _she asked hopefully.

Remy heard the desperation in her voice. She _needed _him there. Why...he wasn't exactly sure. Why was his support so important when his _blessing_ wasn't? He deeply sighed, "I'll...think 'bout it. It's all I can promise."

Rogue sounded disappointed as she responded with, "_Okay..."_

"Goodnight, chere," he murmured.

Hesitant, she seemed almost as if she wanted to say something else. Instead, she responded, "_Night, Remy."_

Remy ended the call and clenched his teeth. The next twenty four hours may be the hardest he would ever have to face.

* * *

**End of Part Forty-Two**

* * *

**Not far to go now! Hope you're all as excited as I am that we got this far together! I can't believe it's already done, seriously. I've enjoyed writing this story so much that I'm almost sad to see it end. Love you all, enjoy the next part ;)**


	43. magneticattractionpart43

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Forty-Three**

* * *

Rogue couldn't sleep.

Try as she might, the nerves, the anxiety, the emotions, everything ran high. She would toss and turn and find it hard to relax. All she could think of was that in less than twenty-four hours, she may be cured of the curse that had prevented her from having a life for so long.

She'd tried to eat something after her discussion with Magneto, but she found it hard to chew, and only felt sick as she tried to force herself to take any further bites. She'd gone to bed on an empty stomach, queasy and anxious.

_At least Ah didn't have to watch over Wanda,_ she thought as she went to the fire escape balcony to get a breath of air just past two am. She was quite surprised to find Piotr out there at the ridiculous hour that it was, one of his fresh canvases was becoming an eerie still life of the wintery woodlands at night, everything from the clouds to the way the snow seemed powdery on the trees was beautifully precise. The man had an eye for detail that she could only envy. He saw the tiniest things that she would have never noticed, the number of branches on the dead tree lingering on the outside of the woodlands, the craters on the moon, the way the clouds seemed to be highlighted in silver.

Rogue hugged herself against the bitter chill as she moved to stand beside him and examine the painting so far. He worked corner to corner, and half of the painting was already complete.

"Rogue," he blinked in surprise at the sound of her step, "I...did not know anyone was up."

"Sorry...am...Ah intrudin'?" she asked as she put her gloved hands upon the icy rail of the balcony.

"Not at all," Piotr said.

"You've been spendin' a lot of time out here, lately."

"There is very little else to paint in this area..." stated the Russian after a moment, "but the beauty of the snow in the woodlands is high opportunity for pretty picture."

"It really is," Rogue admitted.

"It is after two am," said Piotr, glancing at his watch, which Rogue thought to be rather old fashioned for a boy who couldn't be more than nineteen or twenty. "You cannot sleep?"

"Ah've tried, but...there's far too much on my mind," Rogue admitted quietly.

_Yeah, like the fact Ah've promised Remy LeBeau my virginity even though Ah don't think Ah can even go through with it, that Ah still hurt inside from the last time he tried to get frisky and now Ah don't even think Ah ever want to have sex_, she thought. She wondered how the shy boy would take it if she blurted these things out.

"Is everything all right?" asked Piotr, he dabbed at his canvas with such gentle precision.

"Just...you know...everything that's gone on the past few days, it's been so crazy in this place. My head is all over the place."

"Life here has been very...unconventional," admitted Piotr thoughtfully, "taking care of Wanda has been...time consuming. And Lance has been in foul mood since he break up with pretty X-Men girlfriend," he pointed out.

Rogue had to admit, the Russian wasn't wrong. Lance's temper had been flaring all over the place since his indiscretion with Wanda had been revealed. He'd done as Logan had commanded, he'd admitted his mistakes to Kitty and suggested they break up. Now, however, he had given up on getting his GED, was no longer studying, and had thrown his application for Bayville Community College in the trash.

He'd given up.

Rogue couldn't help but feel partly responsible, that perhaps he'd been trying to make something of himself in an attempt to please Kitty. It might have been the making of the boy.

_Lets not forget, this is a boy who broke your car, stole the engine and battery, and then charged you to fix the damn thing,_ Rogue reminded herself. _Not to mention he fucked another girl when he had Kitty believin' he cared about her and her alone. _

"Ah feel bad for him almost, but..." she trailed off.

"But he sleep with Wanda when he had very nice girlfriend already. Stupid thing to do, really."

Rogue leaned forward on the railing, a deep sigh escaping her lips, "relationships are complicated, Ah guess," she admitted. She found herself wondering if perhaps her future might be the same. If she gained control of her power but couldn't physically consummate her relationship with Remy, could she be looking at a similar future herself? Would Remy LeBeau go elsewhere just as she'd always feared he may?

"There is nothing complicated about love," said Piotr, "if you love someone, you do not cheat. Simple as that."

"What if one person in the relationship has needs that aren't bein' met though. What then?" Rogue tried.

"I am unsure."

"Oh come on, Pete, you're a guy. You tellin' me if some girl was holdin' out, you wouldn't go looking elsewhere?" she asked.

Piotr frowned, "I would not."

Rogue supposed Piotr was the exception, but it seemed that he had no girlfriends to speak of so she supposed it would be hard for him to truly answer. His answer for all she knew could only be in theory.

"My...evolution...is tomorrow," Rogue admitted, not sure really how to continue the conversation and somehow needing to at least admit what was going to happen.

"Your powers will be mended?" asked Piotr curiously, he stopped painting to turn and look at her.

"Ah hope so," she hugged herself, the cold biting at her flesh even through her hooded top and pyjamas.

"I hope it will work too," said Piotr. He turned his attention back to the painting, "what will you do afterwards?"

"Ah'm...gonna go back to the X-Men. Things...you know, aren't workin' out here. The team is fallin' apart without Remy, no work is gettin' done. Lance and Pietro went back to bein' lazy...and...Ah miss my friends."

"I do not blame you," said Piotr. "I would leave too, but I need money Magneto pays to help family back home."

Rogue wished she could have suggested that he go to the X-Men, but the X-Men would be willing to pay for his services in quite the same way Magneto was. "Ah hope it works out for you here," she said softly. "Ah'm gonna go try and get some sleep. Big day tomorrow and all," she said, and with that, she went back to her room, knowing full well the sleep would _never _come now.

* * *

Remy LeBeau was having trouble sleeping. By four am, when he had not slept, he was outside and began shovelling snow from the driveway so that any cars would be able to get in or out if needs be. He had long since worked out how to disable the alarms in the front of the institute.

His wrist ached, and he was sure it was not helping to heal the injury, but it was something that made him feel at least _useful_ to the place. He'd been recommended to _not_ do the job by Professor, by Logan and by Hank McCoy, but Remy never _had _been the kind of guy to take advice well.

Besides, at least when the pain was bad, it became harder to concentrate on much else. So with the pain in his already injured wrist, the cut on his hand and the strain on the muscles in his shoulders, there was very little time to consider much else.

He'd spent most of the night thinking about Rogue. Her plans of sacrificing her _virginity_ as a bargaining chip both disturbed and intrigued him. Although she'd _almost_ offered her innocence to Magneto in a very weak and mixed up moment as far as he could tell, Remy knew she wasn't likely to give herself so freely, especially not after what had happened in the car. Something Remy was still kicking himself for.

_If she's willin' to do this even if she's scared, then she does care. There's no question. After Tuesday mornin' I knew she'd never look at sex the same way again, and for her to take this leap with you is a massive sacrifice on her part. She wouldn't just _do _that for any other guy, would she?_

He found his own response to the thought even more disturbing. Normally even the offer of sex alone would have been enough to leave him twitching, leave him with racing thoughts and an all over flush. But nothing was stirring, not even the slightest twitch below his belt which just proved to himself that he wasn't all that enthusiastic about the idea of it either.

_We've had some fun, but it went too fast and it's gone horribly wrong. It's time to take things slow now. If this has anythin' to it, then we gotta go back a bit and try to get to where we were before we started gettin' physical...to when she was more comfortable with me and I didn't feel I had to prove anythin' because of her urgency to be normal and have experiences,_ he thought as he went to put the shovel away after finishing the job. It'd taken an hour but the drive was clear.

_Bet she's sleepin' like a baby, dreamin' about how different her life is gonna be once she has the weight of her powers thrown off her shoulders. Here I am, thing ain't even happenin' to me and I ain't slept a wink all night. God I feel like I aged twenty __years in one month since this crap began._

He entered the garage through a side door, and he heard a gasp as he the door made it's usual squeak at the hinges. Kitty Pryde stood there in a fluffy polka dot robe, to Remy's surprise with a lit cigarette clutched between her delicate fingers. Her blue eyes were wide with shock as she realised she'd been caught. She had not expected to see anyone in this garage at 5am on a Saturday morning.

"Kitty..." he said, blinking.

"Fuck!" she swore, her expression suddenly so lost as she realised how crude it had sounded, she put a hand to her face and tried to desperately hide the cigarette behind her back.

"No thanks, but I'll take the cigarette," he reacted calmly, he moved over after putting the shovel away.

Kitty sighed, "you...weren't meant to see that."

"I'm guessin' no one was. Where you find it?"

"I stole it from you, actually," her cheeks grew hot and pink.

"I didn't even notice. Guess I'm a pretty poor thief these days."

"You were distracted," Kitty responded.

"I guess," he held his hand out for the cigarette and she passed it over sheepishly. He put it to his lips and took a long drag. He sighed the smoke back out.

"Are you gonna rat me out?"

Remy snorted, "no..." he held the cigarette out to her. He supposed he could be petty and remind her of how she'd told him off for the habit. _Don't pick on her, she got cheated on and dumped in the same week,_ he reminded. He'd heard the girl sobbing to herself quietly quite a lot, he'd heard the rumours flying left and right.

_Wanda was probably screwin' Lance while she was _still _screwin' me. Irony there, she accused me of bein' unfaithful to her, but I was faithful the whole damn time and there she was fucking Alvers._

Remy supposed he should say something comforting. He'd never been good at comforting girls. He only knew that getting them to sleep with him was _easy_ when they were in this condition. _Pity for Kitty, _he thought. _If I didn't care so much about Rogue, I'd have been able to help her forget entirely about that dickhead,_ he reckoned.

Kitty took a short drag of the cigarette, and she coughed. This wasn't something she did all the time, Remy realised.

"I'm...sorry that it didn't work out with you and Alvers," Remy admitted. He supposed in some sense he was. The girl didn't deserve it, as he understood it she was a good, honest, and sweet person. The problem really was that she'd chosen Lance to be with, and it was hard for a leopard to change his spots.

_If that's true though, then you're fucked too, LeBeau,_ he told himself.

Kitty stared down at the floor as she passed the cigarette back to him, "yeah, well, so am I..." she sounded quite sad. "I thought this time was gonna be different, but..."

"There are other guys out there you know..."

"Human guys, but we all know how well they take what we are," Kitty reminded.

"There's mutant guys out there too," Remy responded, he sucked on the death stick and passed it back. "Some who'd think you were damn right adorable," he explained.

Kitty raised her wide blue eyes to him.

"You know..." he began,exhaling the smoke, "if I weren't already spoken for..." he mused, "I'd have maybe taken a chance on you myself."

"You're just saying that," she rolled her eyes at him.

"You're a catch. Smart, pretty, independent..." he said thoughtfully, "_bendy and limber_."

Kitty's face darkened a little, he gave a slight laugh at her.

"Some guys out there lookin' for a good girl like you," Remy admitted. He thought of Piotr. That guy definitely was looking for a _nice_ girl. He even thought he'd seen him looking at Kitty in that almost wistful way once when Lance had snuck her in once for a visit. He didn't want to speak his thoughts about the subject though, it was too soon to suggest other potential suitors for the girl when she'd just had her heart shoved into a blender with the puree button hit on full blast.

Kitty sighed, and she tried smoking again, she coughed, spluttered and handed the cigarette back to him. "How do you smoke this crap?"

"Properly," he answered, he took the deepest drag he could from what was left of the cigarette, then stubbed it out on the damp patch of cement where his jeans had been dripping wet from the snow. After it was well and truly out, he tossed it into the trash.

"How come you're up so early?" Kitty asked, rubbing her left eye sleepily.

"Like you, couldn't sleep. Too much on my mind, I guess," he shrugged. "I'm sure you got a lot on yours, right now."

"Yeah..." she sighed unhappily.

Remy stood, awkwardly hovering, not sure what to say. _Is it fucked up I feel so bad for her? I should have just told her I suspected Lance might have been screwin' around on her. _"Do..." he began awkwardly, "do you need to talk about it...or...?" he tried, not really wanting to be the shoulder to cry on, but feeling there was very little else to distract him at this moment.

"I just..." Kitty sighed again and threw her hands up, "I mean...should I have just...I don't know..." she said frustratedly, "is it all my fault?"

"Huh?"

"Should I have just...you know, did what Lance wanted?"

Remy pondered. Would it have made a difference? Possibly. He'd heard Lance's confident admissions that he _thought_ he was going to get lucky with Kitty many times. But when it hadn't happened, he wasn't surprised that the boy had moved on elsewhere. Back months ago, Remy might have even understood it. But falling in love had changed his opinion entirely on the subject.

Kitty sighed, she moved to sit against the hood of one of the nearby cars. "You're a guy, Remy," she threw a desperate look to him, "would it have stopped him from screwing Wanda? If I'd just...you know...done whatever it is guys want..."

"I can't say for certain," he responded, he came to sit beside her. "I mean...in my experience...I gave a girl what she wanted...what she _said _she needed...and...she still went and fucked someone else," Remy muttered, he stared down at the floor.

"Wanda?" asked Kitty meekly.

"Yeah..." Remy sighed. "Lookin' back now, she musta been fucking Lance behind my back..."

"When Lance told me what happened..." Kitty sighed, "he said that Wanda 'seduced' him into having sex in exchange for his complicity in fucking with Rogue's car..."

"Think he fucked with Piotr's van too...the night you guys went to that concert..."

"He was pretty late in picking me up...we nearly missed the opening act," Kitty shrugged.

"Anyway," said Remy, he turned his hand over and examined the bandaid he'd put there over his cut. It was bleeding through again. "Even if you had fucked him...it wouldn't have made a difference, he'd have probably still gone with Wanda. She has that way of making herself hard to turn down."

"Was it that way for you?"

"Yeah..." Remy admitted, "at first..." he thought to how _hard_ it had been to resist that free offer of sex whenever he wanted it. "It was hard to resist. But...then came Rogue...and...well...sex on the clock weren't such a novelty any more when you have a _good_ relationship with someone for once."

Kitty pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them, "I still keep thinking if I'd maybe just...been a little more...flexible..."

"You know what, you're doin' _fine,_ petit," Remy turned to look at her, "you held out...and later, when you get the right guy, it's gonna make the difference. You start foolin' around too fast, it screws things up, and before long you don't know where you are relationship wise. You push things, suddenly everything becomes all about sex and wonderin' if you're givin' enough or not givin' enough...the other person ends up wonderin' if you're gettin' it elsewhere if it tapers off..."

Kitty turned to look at him, her serious big blue eyes were like a child's.

"I wish I'd waited," he sighed. "I have made...a _lot_ of stupid decisions. And sex was behind nearly all of them. Take my advice, petit. Don't do it until you're ready, until you've waited a _good _long time, and you know for certain that it's time. Don't push things just for the experience or just 'cause you wanna sacrifice somethin' for another person."

"Really?" Kitty asked, "you're not gonna tell me to grow up and do what a woman is supposed to do?

"No, I'm not," he sighed, "think I been goin' about things wrong for far too long."

"You're young though," Kitty reminded, "you can turn things around. Might take work and some sacrifices..."

_Make some sacrifices. She's right. You gotta make a sacrifice even if you don't agree with it. Rogue wants to sacrifice havin' sex...even though she's scared, and you _know _she is. Maybe Kitty has a point. You gotta make a sacrifice. Doesn't matter how _you _feel about it. You have to be there._

"You're right," Remy agreed finally in a soft breath, "I gotta sacrifice. God knows, she's made enough for me."

"Huh?"

"Nothin'," Remy shook his head and stood up. "I've just...figured out what I'm gonna do...'about everythin'."

* * *

Rogue sighed as she stared up at the ceiling, Wanda was sleeping soundly in her room and she was supervising, making sure the girl didn't wake up and try to cause trouble as she had before. The day was passing so slowly. She hadn't slept, she couldn't eat and her body was on edge.

With each hour passing, she counted down. _Might be six hours away...four hours...three. How long now? God...Ah'm so sick of waitin'. Ah want this to be over._

When Piotr came to relieve her of her supervision duties, she went to go take a long shower, feeling like she had _nothing_ but time.

_This is the night. If this works out – and Ah think it will – my evolution means this is _it. _If he comes like Ah asked him...then Ah need to give him what Ah promised...the thing Ah've been promising since we got together._

As she undressed, she reminded herself that tonight she would be undressing for him. And when she lay, she would be _laying_ for him to take. Her stomach churned and she pressed her hand against it, wincing at the thought. She felt queasy again, just as she had every single time she'd thought about it since the moment she'd promised him.

_What about the pain?_ She asked herself as she stepped into the shower and let the water soak into her hair. So many questions attacked at her. What if they began and she couldn't take the pain, what if she couldn't tell him to stop. _How could Ah tell him to stop after promisin' that? If he shows up and Ah just...back out? What would happen? Ah'd lose him...he's waited for this. _Ah _waited for it._

_ Remember what Logan said? When you make a commitment, you have to honour it, there's no turnin' back...you can't change what's done..._

Closing her eyes, she let the water wash over her and tried to imagine how it would be with him. How he would touch her, how he would kiss her, and how he would _take _her. Maybe if she planned it out in her head, it wouldn't be so shocking, so sore, so awkward.

Was it possible to want someone and _not _want them at the same time?

_Maybe it won't hurt as bad, maybe if we take it slower this time..._

Drawing her breath, she reached down between her legs. In her eighteen years on earth she had avoided doing this, the closest she'd gone was to washing herself. But now, she tried to _intimately _touch herself. The effect didn't feel quite the same. She winced as she attempted to do what Remy had, feeling that it wasn't going to work, almost as if her own body wasn't meant to accept that sort of touch.

_He got much further, much deeper,_ she despaired. _Why can't Ah? Ah can't do this...it's too hard...it hurts..._

Harder, she pushed against herself, the pain was still there, and as she pushed at it, it became more unbearable. There was a strange resistance within, something was there.

_He'd didn't break it, it's still there,_ she thought in horror, wincing as she dropped to stall floor, thighs together tight. _Maybe he only partially tore it...that's possible, isn't it? We stopped...maybe we stopped too soon before he could completely break it. It's gonna hurt, it's gonna hurt so much worse the next time, _she felt tears burning her eyes as she let her back rest against the cold tiles, water pelting her hard. _Why the fuck did Ah have to go there that night. Why the hell did Ah have to get him off?! If Ah hadn't done that...he wouldn't have tried to touch me. He wasn't pushin' me for sex...he stopped when Ah asked him to, he didn't go any further. _

_Why the hell did he feel he had somethin' to prove?!_

It didn't matter now. She couldn't change it. It was like Logan had said. She'd made a commitment, and now it was done. There was no going back from it. The damage was _done_. It would be done forever.

She finished showering herself off quickly, trying to ignore the pain inside, and she dressed. She'd chosen the nicest clothes she owned, hoping to look nice for the night that she would finally be with Remy LeBeau.

_If he shows,_ she thought as she went to her room to towel dry her hair. Her stomach was now in knots.

_Oh God, can Ah do this? What if he's right, what if Ah go through this thing and nothing happens. What if Ah go through it and come out a monster...what if it blows up? What if..._

What if Remy LeBeau didn't come? And she had to go through this alone, the Professor and Magneto watching her go in broken and coming out even more broken. Who was going to fix her? If Remy didn't come, then it meant he never _could _be there for her, that she'd gone too far. Maybe it was justified.

_Ah can still change my mind, _she reminded herself as she applied her makeup expertly, taking more slow and careful care than usual, trying to burn all the extra time away. _It's not too late, _she told herself as she sat upon the edge of her bed, cradling her head in her hands. _Ah can still decide to not go through with this.._.

But what of Wanda? What would happen to her? Her deterioration, her madness, her father's attempts to control her by sedation? What would happen? Would he end up overdosing the girl in an attempt to subdue her, or end up with her so tolerant of the medications that she would overcome everything and go on a warpath. Rogue had seen the devastation that the powers of the Scarlet Witch could leave behind her, she'd _felt it _too.

She thought of the misery in Magneto's face, the misery in Pietro's face, and the sadness of Wanda's. The picture she'd seen of the family when the twins were young had stayed fresh in her mind, she could see the smiles, the happiness. The future had held such promise and had not paid out. Fate had not intervened with luck and hope. It was Rogue who had to do that now.

There was a quiet knock at her bedroom door, and she pulled herself together, sighed deeply, and murmured, "yeah?"

The door opened and there stood Logan, his face sombre, unshaven, his hair slightly bushy, his sideburns slightly unkempt. He frowned only slightly as he spoke, and she could tell each word he detested saying.

"It's time, kid. You ready?"

Rogue breathed in deeply through her nose, "is...is he here? Did...did he come? Did Remy come?"

Logan paused, then gave a slightly soft shake of his head, "sorry. He's not here."

"Oh," Rogue put her hand against her knotted stomach, she swallowed back the nerves like a large pill.

"You need a minute?"

"Yeah," she nodded nervously.

"You still have the choice, Rogue," Logan assured, "ain't too late. If we have to fight buckethead to get you out of here, we can do it. If it's what you choose."

Rogue stared at the floor unhappily, still holding her stomach.

"You don't have to say it if you're scared to. It's okay to be wrong about something, it's how you learn from your mistakes. If you can't say that you want this to be over with and you want to give up now...you don't have to. If you're not in that office room in the next ten minutes, then we'll know for sure that you've changed your mind. Pack, do whatever you need to do, and we'll see you at _home_, at Xavier's...if that's where you still want to be...because...that's where you _belong. _Where you've _always belonged..."_

Sighing, Rogue said nothing. And she watched as Logan left the room, closing the door behind himself, giving her the moments she still needed to pull herself together. After a few moments, she decided to go to the fire escape balcony to get some air. She felt so sick she thought she may throw up, and she didn't want anyone to see or hear this act. She supposed throwing up over the side, she could always clean it up later.

Stepping out onto the balcony she looked over the woodland area, the night was coming in fast, bitter winds whipping her damp hair around her shoulders. The snow had started again, and a flurry of it danced across the sky.

Tears blurred her vision. This could be it, the night when everything came together, the night when she'd finally learn what it would be like to be normal.

And Remy LeBeau hadn't even bothered to turn up. Maybe the promise of sex hadn't been enough for him. Maybe he wanted...or needed...something more? Or maybe he'd just given up. Too many unhappy memories, empty relationships, empty feelings, vicious assaults and rejections. Bayville held unhappy memories for him, and probably not enough happy ones to compensate.

She sobbed quietly to herself for a moment, trying to get out the emotion so that when she got to the office, it wouldn't cause her to burst into nervous hysterics, an emotional break down was all she needed in front of Magneto. He'd seen that before, and she couldn't face having him see it a second time.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder, someone had come up behind her through the open door from the catwalk. She hadn't even heard the step.

"Ah need a few more minutes, Logan..." she blinked her tears, and tried to keep her voice calm and cool.

"You got all the time in the world," came Remy LeBeau's reply.

She gave a tiny gasp that caught in the back of her throat and she spun around to look at him, his standing there looking so serious, cool and composed, his hair combed, his face clean shaven, his coat buttoned up right to the collar to avoid the cold. She thrust herself against his chest and sobbed, "Ah thought you weren't comin'."

"I almost didn't," he replied softly, he moved her back and brushed the tears from her face with his leather gloved fingers.

"What changed your mind?" she asked, sniffling.

"I love you..." he reminded.

"Remy...Ah..." she began.

He placed his fingers upon her mouth and shook his head, "don't say it. I don't want to hear you say it right now, like this. All I want to hear you say is that you're _absolutely _sure that this is what you want..." he cupped her chin, "are you sure?"

She gave a timid nod, and whispered the word _"yes,_" so softly it was barely audible.

Remy looked remorseful, his eyes fell to the floor for a moment, but he gave a tiny nod, "okay...I'm...I'm gonna stand by you. God knows, you stood by me, was there when I was close to goin' crazy, was there for me when my mind was close to breakin'. It's my turn to be here for you now. If you're really sure about this...then...I'll be there."

"You don't know how much it means to me," she hugged him tightly.

* * *

**End of Part Forty-Three**

* * *

**Arggggggggggh the penultimate part! I can't wait for the reactions for the final part. I also can't wait to see what you guys think! Keep the reviews coming in. I love hearing what you guys have to say! Thanks so much for all the support on the story 3**


	44. magneticattractionpart44

**MAGNETIC ATTRACTION**

**Part Forty-Four**

* * *

**** Authors note: Well, here it is. The ultimate final part. Forty-four (four parts more than I wanted) parts in, lmao. Thanks to everyone who has spent their time reviewing and theorizing and predicting and thinking in depth about this story. For making it a favourite, for following it, and keeping me motivated by reviewing. By far, this has been my most favourite story to write, and I'm sad to see it end.**

**Warning: suicide triggers will feature in this story, so do be warned/cautious. Hope this doesn't ruin anything for anyone. 3**

* * *

Remy LeBeau noted the almost scathing and disapproving expression on Magneto's face as he walked into the office holding Rogue's hand tightly. Rogue walked slowly, the walk of a woman who walked to her doom, not the walk of a woman who steadily walked to her salvation.

The doubt was there all right, but she wasn't letting anyone know that she felt close to faltering. In his mind, his thoughts screamed _turn back, turn back. _He wondered if hers did.

But she continued that walk, head held high, her stride slow but confident.

In the room stood Magneto, Logan, and the Professor sat close by. Everyone looked sombre, even Magneto.

_He just wants this to be over, wants to get this through with so he can put his daughter through this, see what it does to her broken head,_ Remy thought dully. He examined the machine, the brushed steel, the exquisite cylindrical shape, the lights, the control panel, the cool air emanating from the thing as condensation rose up from within.

Rogue's breath misted in the cold office as she breathed timidly, stepping towards the machine, still hanging onto Remy's hand with a strange desperation. "Will...will it hurt."

Magneto's face was stern, serious. "Yes," was all he could reply.

Remy stopped her, he had to ask once again, "you're sure?"

Rogue gave a nod and she let go of his fingers finally; his hand had been held so tightly that upon release his fingers ached, tingling as the circulation began to return. _Don't do this, chere. Change your mind. It ain't over yet, you can change your mind._

He caught the look on Logan's face, on the Professor's too, disapproving and worried. The concern was so thick on both faces that masks could have never hid it. Remy could see the professor's jaw seem to harden, the strain of muscle pulling as he held his tongue and almost seemed to chew on the inside of his mouth.

"Step inside..." Magneto gestured, holding a hand out to her to help her up onto the platform and into the chamber within. The blue lights lit her up, seeming to change the colour of her eyes to violet, and the white of her hair to pink. Remy's stomach quivered the nerves as he saw her going in and knew that this was it. She could never turn back now.

"You must be incredibly still," warned Magneto went to tapping a few buttons on the control panel on the machine, a few lights flashed within the thing, the blue light turned to a deep vivid red, and there was a loud whirring noise as the machine began to activate. Remy saw the long thick needles long before Rogue realised they were there, two at her shoulders, two at her hips and two at her thighs, coming from each side of the machine and jutting quickly into her.

Rogue, unsuspecting of the needles, let out a howl as they penetrated her flesh and seemed to collide with bone. The way her back arched, Remy was almost convinced that one had come from the back too to hit her spine. The chamber door began to slide shut, and Remy rushed towards it to try to throw his hands upon it, to scream that he should stop. Logan grabbed him quickly, hauling him back. "Don't!"

"Any false move in that machine now could paralyze her!" warned Magneto to Remy, "do _not_ touch the machine."

Rogue's cries seemed to echo from the machine, Remy felt the vibrations upon the floor, the heard the humming. Magneto moved to three metal canisters hooked up to the machine. What was in them, he didn't know and he was almost sure that it would never be disclosed. Quickly, Magneto twisted the lock on each one, and Remy heard the hiss of what sounded like a gas, or liquid.

_Jesus Christ, what is he doing? Is he gassing her?!_

"Rogue!" Remy cried, trying to struggle against Logan's hard grip.

"Stop it!" Logan warned.

"He's killing her!"

"Quiet!" warned Magneto, "I must concentrate!"

More typing onto the control panel, Remy saw numbers and graphics appear on the screen above them all, a spinning diagram of a female body, tiny specs of light moving through it. Magneto's eyes almost seemed to light up as he stared at the screen, reading things that Remy could not read, understanding what Remy could not understand.

"Heart rate is above normal..." Professor Xavier read from the screen, "brain wave activity is higher than normal...the acceleration of her genes..." he whispered.

"Is it working?" Remy managed weakly, his arm ached from where Logan had him tight to the spot.

"As far as I can see...the x-genes are...in fact evolving..."

"You see?!" asked Magneto, "soon she will emerge evolved, more powerful than she has ever been!"

The process went on for more minutes, and inside, Rogue's cries and howls were muffled within the chamber. The machine whirred and buzzed and hissed and crackled as it processed what was being asked of it, and it seemed to do the job it was built for as far as Remy could see from Magneto's reactions, the feverish expression of success in his eyes.

Remy felt sick, hoping that soon, this would be over, that the pain would end for the girl, and she would be free of all the torment she'd experienced through most of her life.

The machine shut down, the whirring sounds dying down reminded him of how it sounded when the washing machine ended it's cycle, the drum slowing steadily into a quiet stop. Magneto waited a few moments before shutting off the canisters, and before typing a few more commands into the machine.

"Heart rate is slowing down now," said the Professor, "brain wave activity normal...blood pressure dropping..."

The sliding door of the chamber moved open, and Logan let Remy go just in time as Rogue fell out of the chamber. Remy made a swift dive to grab her, nearly missing her. She fell into his arms, her body trembling a little, her face soaked in sweat. Her lips were quivering.

"Chere..." he whispered, he put his gloved hand upon her face to brush her damp sweat tinged hair away from her forehead.

Rogue's eyes opened weakly, and they were not the same eyes he'd fallen in love with, they were greener than they had ever been before. More forest green than the faded olive green he'd become so accustomed to. The brown of her hair seemed different too, slightly darker, more fine than it had been, and the silvery white streaks seemed almost larger, brighter, more dominant over the rest of her hair. Her face was still pale, still childlike.

Remy was taken aback just by how much she had changed, how much like Rogue this girl looked like and how much she did not. He swallowed hard, gazing down at her speechless.

_Is she still Rogue?_

* * *

Rogue wasn't sure why Remy was looking at her so strangely. Her body was still shaking from the pain of the hard thick needles that had penetrated the various parts of her body. Her spine, her hips, her thighs, her shoulders, and the back of her neck all felt intensely sore. And yet, her body seemed oddly drained and relaxed as she lay there in Remy LeBeau's arms.

Magneto reached to take Rogue's wrist, pulled up her sleeve and felt her pulse. "Her pulse is strong..." he said.

"It could have killed you," Remy whispered to Rogue concernedly, that haunted look in his face had returned.

"Ah feel...fine," she whispered, her fingers tingling with energy. The pain she had felt within the chamber would stick with her for a lifetime. Like being on fire, as if acid was being pumped into her and driven through her while intense heat and cold pushed at her skin.

It almost felt as if she should have returned from the machine blistered and burned, frostbitten with necrosis, and yet, from what she saw of her bare arm, her skin seemed fine.

_ "_Did...did it work?" she asked weakly.

"We...we don't know yet," Remy responded, his lips were trembling.

Rogue felt the dizzying nausea return. It was over. It had been done. She felt strangely no different for it other than the lingering sense of pain and the tingling. She still _felt_ like herself. She had worried that perhaps this wouldn't be the case any more.

With a gloved hand, Rogue reached up and put her hand weakly behind Remy LeBeau's head, "it's time," she said softly.

And Remy looked doubtful of this, as if there may never be the perfect time for the first kiss they would share that wouldn't hurt one and leave the other reeling.

He gave the vaguest laugh, "here? In front of them?" he asked, he stroked her damp hair back from her face, so tenderly, so lovingly. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine how his bare hands may feel.

Rogue gave a nod, "Ah've waited long enough, Remy...Ah want the first kiss to be with you...'cause Ah love you..."

His expression changed so suddenly to one of shock that she'd said it aloud. And he processed it. "You..." he drew a breath, "say it again..."

"Ah love you," she whispered softly.

Remy gave a quiet almost delighted laugh as he leaned close, hesitant for a moment, twisting his face a little, and then leaning down to brush his lips lightly against hers.

For that moment, everything melted away, and she didn't feel that sensation of her powers drawing upon the boy as she normally would have. Just the brush of his dry lips against hers, and the stubble on his chin grating against her skin. That was all she felt...and when he pushed his mouth hard against hers to kiss her deeper, that that was when it happened.

The pull was immense, hard, and the flood of thoughts and feelings of Remy LeBeau were hers and suddenly hers alone. A mixed and muddled up mess of memories, of voices and emotions, and visions of things he'd seen. There were flashes of his encounters with Wanda the way _he_ had seen the girl, there was a prominent memory of Wanda taking him against his will, of his arguing with her, the voices to muddled to make out. There was turmoil, over the events of the past few days in particular, memories of how it had felt for _him_ in the woods the moment she'd taken the next step in their physical relationship and the absolute _horror_ of how badly it had gone in the car afterwards.

One thing became very clear to her. He did _not_ want tonight to happen. He did not want this evolution and he did not want to be with her the way she'd thought he did. There had been a lust that he'd found becoming less and less frequent the closer the time of her evolution had become, and as her promise had been made that they would make love _tonight_, came his promise to himself that no, they would _not._

As these flashes continued to flood in, she had no consciousness of her _own_ self for what seemed like minutes. She could not move, she could not pull away from him, and she could not see through her own eyes any more. She was only vaguely aware of the yelling in the background, muffled voices coming from the other men in the room, and there were sudden blacknesses that seemed to come and go.

The visions grew hazy, and she felt herself being dragged, pulled, and then nothing. She wasn't sure of the lapse of time, or what had happened at first. When she felt consciousness coming back to her, she saw the metal tiled floor she was lying almost face first upon and she pushed herself up, suddenly feeling much more energetic and stronger than she had before. She was filled with _Remy's_ strength, his agility, his vitality.

The three older men in the room were _not_ paying attention to her in this condition she realised, but of something else. And as she turned to see what they were looking at exactly after she took a moment to come to her senses, she realised that Remy LeBeau was unconscious upon the floor.

Scrambling to get up, she tried to get over to see what was going on. Magneto was administering CPR, but the boy was not responding.

"Remy!" she shrieked.

"Rogue, stay out of the way!" Logan warned before she could reach them.

Rogue gripped onto the edge of the Magneto's desk, her stomach flipping with horror. _It didn't work. Oh my god, it didn't work, Ah've killed him, Ah've killed him!_ Her mind screamed, Remy LeBeau's memories seemed to whir inside her like the sound of too-loud music after long leaving a nightclub. She could almost hear him in there, as if he were in there with her, as if she'd taken all of him in.

"Got a pulse," said Logan after a moment, as Rogue stared in horror at the scene that lay before her. "Weak but it's there."

"He's not breathing on his own," the Professor realised.

"Hospital?" asked Logan.

"The hospital can't monitor him the way we can," Professor Xavier responded, "we have to take him back to the mansion, try to find out exactly what kind of condition he is in...this condition isn't a _medical_ one the hospital will know how to treat!"

Rogue couldn't breathe, "it's all my fault...he's gonna die and it's all my fault..."

"Rogue, calm down..."

"No, Ah will not calm down! This is all my fucking fault!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Logan got up and moved to her, "you had no idea your powers would do this..." he reached out to take her shoulders firmly, to try and shake some sense into her.

"Don't touch me!" she threw up her hands.

And then, something quite extraordinary happened. As she threw up her hands as she normally would with the same force she _always _used, Wolverine did not only move back, but he was thrown back _across the room_, as if he'd been hit by the impact of an oncoming battering ram. He hit the metal wall several feet behind him, and slammed into it hard. As he slid down the wall, groaning in pain, Rogue noted the _dents_ his back had left upon the metal.

"Oh my god," she whispered, she spun to look at Magneto who was holding a bag valve mask applying air to Remy who wasn't breathing on his own. "What did you do?! What the fuck did you do to me?!"

"I did what you asked!" Magneto snarled, "I did exactly as you asked me to do!" he kept pumping the air into Remy's lungs rhythmically.

Rogue stepped back a little, slamming into the desk again and she grabbed upon the edge of it to steady herself, she felt her fingers bend into the metal and she gasped, turning back to see the dents her hand had left. She stumbled sideways in shock, her elbow slamming into the metal wall near the iron curtains, and she saw the dent just before she spun around, catching her foot on the step, she grabbed onto the metal chains to stop herself from falling and the entire fitting fell down, landing with a loud clatter, chains raining down around her.

"What's happenin' to me?!" she screamed, she tripped on the chains, her hands catching herself on the floor, somehow managing to displace two tiles that she was sure had been down firmly before.

Logan pulled himself up weakly, limping in pain, "jesus christ, where did that come from?" he groaned.

Rogue took off running to the door in blind panic, frightened and disorientated that she may hurt the others. With one foot still tangled in one of the chains, she yanked her ankle forward and it spun, whipping one of Magneto's computer's off the desk and nearly decapitating the Professor who managed to duck just in time. She slammed into the door and it caved outwards, falling to the floor with her against it. She saw the others outside, Piotr just coming down the stairs from the living room area, Pietro coming to see what all the screaming was, and Tabitha, who was standing with a large bag of chips in her hand.

Rogue felt tears blur her vision as she pulled herself up, noting how she left cracks in the concrete floors as she did so. Frantic, she ran for the exit, tripping on pieces of discarded building materials from the project that now nobody cared about. She managed to make her way to the door, and in her attempt to slide it open, she somehow managed to force the thing completely off it's setting, and she heard it clatter. She caught her boot on the frame, and she braced herself to fall into the brown mush of snow around the yard.

She shut her eyes, afraid she was going to go face first into the concrete.

Instead, she felt only the wind against her face, and the bitter patting of snow on her cheeks.

Her eyes opened and she found herself in the air, twenty, perhaps thirty feet above the land near the warehouse, she wobbled in the air, gasping as she found herself motionless up there. Desperately, she flailed, trying to catch herself on things that were _not_ there to grasp onto. Her body tumbled forward, and she shrieked, bracing her elbows over her face as she began plummeting down at a forty-five degree angle towards the metal railings and barbed wire of the fences surrounding the yard. She felt herself slam into the fence, and she heard the strain and crash of the metal as it came down with her, felt the tangle of the barbed wire around her arms and finally the slam of concrete.

Dazed, she lay there for some moments in the cold slush covered concrete, confused. Remy's memories still flashed before her, his doubts, his hostility, his hopelessness, his kindness, his strengths, everything about him that she'd fallen in love with. He was with her but he wasn't with her. He was part of her but not.

Weakly, trembling in fright, she leaned up from where she'd landed and saw the mess of broken concrete, she'd broken through, right into the gravel and sand, leaving a two foot deep delve in the yard.

"Holy fuck," she heard a whisper, and she raised her eyes to see Tabitha, who had spoken the words, standing there, Piotr and Pietro there behind her. Logan approached.

"What happened?!" Logan asked, reaching down to try to help Rogue up.

Rogue yanked her arm out of the way from him, "don't touch me!" she gasped, "don't touch me!"

Logan blinked, "Rogue...I..."

"She _flew,_" Tabitha said in a tiny whisper, "like...waaaaaaaaay up there..." she gestured to the sky.

Rogue saw the shock and concern in Logan's eyes. This was something he _had _feared would happen, something the Professor had feared, perhaps even Remy too. That it wouldn't have the effects she'd wanted, that other things would happen. New powers may develop...had Magneto warned her about that? She hadn't expected it to be an outcome...all she had expected as that it either wouldn't work, or it would. Not that she would end up like...this...

Shaking in the cold, she broke into hysterical tears. And she wouldn't allow anyone to touch her.

_ Ah can't allow anyone to touch me ever again._

* * *

Rogue stared around her old bedroom, the one she'd shared with Kitty Pryde for the two years she'd stayed here and called it home. It no longer looked the same, although nothing had changed. The walls were the same colour, the same godawful posters were still on the wall.

Despite she hadn't lived there in a month, her bedsheets had been changed, but no one had been given the bed, no new students had taken her place. It was almost as if they'd known she would be back. Rogue stood looking around the room, feeling helpless and hopeless, too afraid to touch anything, too afraid to even sit down in case she broke the bed or the chairs. Even each step across the floorboards she took slowly and carefully, afraid somehow her weight may have changed and she may go through through the floor.

Her heart bled.

Remy was in the sick bay being examined and monitored by Hank McCoy and Professor Xavier. He had not come to from the unconscious state her kiss had left him in. He was comatose, still, not even able to breathe on his own. She'd had to help keep him breathing in the car with the bag valve mask while the Professor had awkwardly tried to monitor his vitals.

Magneto had not wanted any further involvement. Rogue supposed she shouldn't have been surprised.

Despair ate at her. She'd made the sacrifice for nothing, and what was worse, she'd sacrificed _Remy_. That had never been part of the deal.

_Was it worth it, Rogue?!_ She demanded of herself angrily. _Was it everythin' you thought it would be?! He kept tellin' you to leave it and you just couldn't let it go. Made a commitment and now...look at you. Everythin' you touch turns to shit...and now the man you love is in a coma. You can't turn back the hands of time, you can't _fix _this. What if he dies?! _

Rogue inched towards her bed and tried to sit, feeling almost like she may go through the thing. Somehow, she managed to sit without breaking it but she dare not put her hands upon it yet. This new found strength was frightening, she'd accidentally taken the door of of the Professor's Rolls Royce when trying to get in, and they'd had to ride that way all the way home, the cold biting at their faces. Another thing broken.

_Just like Remy._

She glanced up to the open doorway to see Logan standing there. At the collar of his white tanktop she could see the bruises her hands had left upon him when she'd thrown him. They hadn't healed fast enough, which meant they were quite severe. She'd never been able to hurt Logan quite that way before, she'd always seen him as so invulnerable. It seemed now she was capable of hurting even him.

"Remy's in a stable condition," Logan said quietly, he stood in the threshold, leaning against the doorframe, seeming to be respectful that she didn't want him near her right now.

"Is he breathin' on his own yet?" Rogue asked quietly, she stared furiously down at the rug.

"Not yet," Logan responded, "but...he's stable. For now. He's on life support. He's in no immediate danger."

Rogue felt tears trickle down her cheeks and she furiously swept them away with the back of a gloved hand.

"It's not your fault-"

"Yes it is," she snarled, "it's my fucking fault. Everythin' Ah've ever touched has turned to shit," she got up and moved to the window quickly, not wanting him to see her cry again.

"Rogue..." Logan sighed, "I know there's nothin' I can say right now..."

Rogue snorted, "how about _Ah told you so?_ Ah'm sure you must have wanted to say that since the minute it all went wrong."

"Come on, now," he grunted.

"You've known it was gonna go wrong since the moment Ah told you Ah was leavin'. If you didn't, you'd have never hired Remy to change my fucking mind," she turned and glared at him.

Logan blinked, "you...knew about that?"

"Ah had a feelin' he'd been providin' information after he left. When Professor Xavier arrived to offer his help with the machine Ah figured it wasn't gonna be a coincidence...what Ah _didn't_ suspect was that you were fucking payin' him!" Rogue picked up a glass ornament from the dresser and threw it towards Logan. It was a cheap and tacky glass ballerina that Kitty had been given from Lance on Valentines day. Rogue only felt the guilt about throwing it afterwards.

_Ah guess the relationship is broken, why not break the fucking ornament too,_ she seethed.

Logan put up his arm, and the ornament hit his elbow and smashed, landing upon the floor. "I was desperate, all right? I didn't want to see you get hurt...physically _or_ emotionally. And since the minute you went there seems like you've been going through one or the other!"

"You're not even _sorry_, are you?!" she demanded, body shaking with rage, her mind full of mixed emotions from both Remy and herself, some of them so muddled, she could make sense of very little of it.

"You know what?" Logan asked, frowning, "no. I'm not sorry. I paid him to spy on you and to try and change your mind, and you know what, I'd do it again if I had to, I'd go to the ends of the earth to try and stop you from gettin' hurt. I accept as much blame for this as you do, 'cause you know what, I failed because I respected your decision instead of tryin' _harder_ to make you understand!" he cried angrily. "And if Gambit hadn't been paid to try to change your mind, he'd have never gotten hurt, that's on _me_, all right? _I _take responsibility for that, so you can just drop all the guilt completely because it isn't yours alone to bear!"

Rogue looked away, tears blurring her vision. She tried to clumsily wipe the tears away but more trickled down. "It wasn't supposed to be like this..." she sobbed.

"I know, kid..." Logan moved to step towards her, and she held her hands out.

"No...don't..." she shook her head, "Ah can't be around anyone...Ah can't be trusted...my skin...my strength...Ah can't hurt anyone else...Ah've already hurt Remy...and Ah'll never forgive myself for that."

Logan sighed, he seemed to realise he was getting nowhere. "Do...you want to go see him?"

Rogue shook her head, "Ah can't. Ah can't look at him like that and know it was my fault...Ah can't..."

"He'll be _fine_, you know. Your powers have never killed anyone."

"Never," Rogue gasped, "but what about now...whatever this...evolution has done to me has made me _stronger_...what if now my powers _have _killed him...what if we're just prolongin' the life of a dead _shell_?!"

"He's still alive in there, Rogue. There's still brain activity, he still has a pulse. There's no point in giving up hope yet, because giving up hope leads you to do desperate things..." he reminded.

Rogue realised this was true. Giving up hope was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place. But it was so much easier giving up hope than _having it._

Logan headed for the door, "you should go see him. Maybe hearing your voice will get through to him somehow."

She didn't want to do that, not just yet, not right now while she was too broken and too full of Remy's memories. As she watched Logan go, she nudged the bedroom door shut gently, hoping it wouldn't break and she twisted the lock gingerly. She fell to her knees, almost convinced she heard a slight crack in the wood beneath the carpet. Putting her hands to her face, she began to sob hysterically.

All hope had been lost. There was none of it left. There was no point to anything anymore, there was nothing to live for. Only more pain, only more anguish, only more disappointment, and fear of being caged.

After an hour of sobbing to herself quietly in the bedroom, she somehow managed to pull herself up and stumble over to the dresser. She pulled on the first drawer, it was locked. A hard tug pulled the drawer right out of the thing entirely, breaking the lock completely and spilling the contents of the drawer right onto the carpet. Rogue found what she was looking for, the hair shaping razor that Kitty used to keep her bangs in shape. Holding it as she sat at the edge of her bed, Rogue stared down at the thing, wondering could she do this.

_Can Ah end my life? What more is there to live for? Livin' like this, never bein' able to touch another person again, bein' afraid to break things, bein' afraid to watch the man Ah love lie in a coma maybe for the rest of his life because of _me?

She slipped the metal feathering attachment off of the straight razor and she tossed it to the floor, examining the sharp, shining blade in all it's bare silvery beauty.

It was sharp enough.

Yanking up her sleeve, she swept the thing across her wrist roughly, she felt the cold of the blade, the sliding of it against her flesh.

But the thing did not cut her. No trace of blood, nothing. It didn't even _scratch _her. Frustrated, she tried again, only to find that regardless of how hard she pressed the blade to her flesh, it would not slice into her, and the only mark it would leave was the pressure against her skin, the slight denting of where it had been, which was already disappearing.

"No!" she howled, "you are not doing this to me!" she said furiously, the thing was sharp, wasn't it? She rushed to the mirror and grabbed a handful from the left side of her hair and began cutting through it frantically, it cut like a hot knife through butter, leaving a blunt layer behind. Again, the next handful, she cut hard, and it came loose, falling in long brown strands to the floor.

The blade was sharp, she didn't understand. She tried dragging the blade hard against her throat, hoping to expose her jugular and bleed out, but it would not cut, hard as she tried, her flesh was impenetrable. She thrust the blade at her arms, her thighs, stomach, chest, even her face and only left the tiny dents of pressure and shredded clothes.

"Rogue, oh my god!" came a shriek from the door.

Rogue realised Kitty had walked in, she'd phased right through even though Rogue had chosen to lock it securely.

"Stay away!" Rogue screamed hysterically.

Kitty did no such thing, and she rushed over, fighting Rogue desperately for the blade, and having to phase when the thing nearly cut her. They fell into the dresser, which in Rogue's powerful state came apart, snapping into pieces like salt crackers. A hole got punched through the wall with Rogue's knee, and a floorboard was kicked through. Somehow, after much wrestling, Kitty managed to get a hold of the blade and phased it right through Rogue's hand and tossed it, to where it slid under the bed out of reach.

"Are you _crazy?!" _she demanded.

Rogue dropped to her knees in sobs and wails, clothes ripped to shreds from the blade she'd tried to cut herself with and failed. Her own hair scattered around her. Maybe she was crazy.

Maybe, despite all she'd ever done, despite the sacrifices she'd tried to make, her worst fear was being realised. In her attempt to help Wanda, in her attempt to gain control, she'd become what she'd dreaded. Out of control.

She'd sacrificed to help Wanda.

Now she'd _become_ her.

And her life was never going to be the same again.

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**Yes, the end. Cliffhanger? DUN DUN DUN. **

**After careful consideration while writing the last few chapters, I have indeed, realised, that there is far more of this story waiting to be told. In a sequel. But it will likely _not _be the next thing I post (as I do have other things I would like to get up, such as my Remy centric story, which is most likely the next in line).**

**Thank you to everyone (so many of you whom I wish I could all name but it would take me hours if not dates to sift through the reviews and name you one by on here, lol) who have taken the time over the (what, six months maybe?) that this story has been up and running. This has been the most fun I've had writing in a while, and the most psyched I've been about it in years. I really can't wait to work on the sequel to this, because there is just so much more in store. **

**I really can't wait to see the reactions to this, to see how many of you feel that Rogue's fate was deserved, or what your interpretations were. As I've been up writing for 15 hours straight now (and editing/posting) I think it's finally time for me to shut the word processor for the night, and have a post-fanfic shower before nap! Love you all from the bottom of my heart, you guys truly make it fun and challenging to write for. 3**


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